Hedwig's Tale
by RoseDragonWitch
Summary: We all know Harry's story from start to finish; but what about Hedwig's? It couldn't have been easy for an owl to care for Harry. Little do we know is that she has always been there watching over him. This is her story through the years.
1. Prologue: A Crack in the Armor

**I have always loved Hedwig****. And it broke my heart when I read how she died. And so, I dedicate this story to the owl that we all know and love. While, we all know how her story will end, but the journey to get there… now that is something yet to be discovered! So now, ladies and gentlemen, owls and owlets, I bring you the story of Hedwig from the moment she hatched, to when she died.**

**_Prologue: A Crack in the Armor_**

Darkness…

At least, that is what the world was to her when she first opened her eyes. This darkness this was all she knew… but she might've just kept her eyes shut for all the good it did.

She began stretching out her tiny wings only to realize that she could hardly move at all. She tried to look around her tiny prison… she shifted her position only to find that her head instead smacked into something hard.

She had to get out… but how do you get out when you don't know where you are? That was when she heard them…

Voice… sounds… she could hear them… outside…?

Where she had to be…

She had to do something… and so she did the only thing she could think of and used her tiny and sharp beak to whack at the darkness to feel something hard… yet soft at the same time. She created a soft echo as she continued to hit against the random wall, when suddenly her beak broke through her prison. A rush of air came rushing in… as well as something else… blinding… light…

Her eyes shut tightly in pain and she chirped loudly. She could hear those voices again, and one of them sounded was very near her. Whacking against the wall even harder now, more small cracks formed and something warm and burning white began seeping in. She wasn't sure what was happening… she just kept hitting her beak again and again… even faster and faster until she felt her once small world shatter into something large and bathed in warmth and light.

Now able to move, she blinked her small round eyes and for the first time saw color. Standing before her sat a very regal, white bird that was looking at her with loving eyes. Curious, she stumbled forward, making little chirping noises… trying to find out what had just happened.

The baby owl was hatched in Eeylops Owl Emporium. She wasn't white like the owl before her. In fact, her feathers stuck together, and were a where a rather ugly grey—almost like dust…

But then the large white owl came to her and lowered her head towards her…

_'Welcome to the world,'_ she said in a deep voice that was as warm as the feathers that where wrapped around her.

That was the first thing that baby owl learnt… mother…

_*A few weeks later*_

As the days passed, the baby owl grew bigger. Her feathers grew longer and she started to move her wings. The grey were slowly losing their ugly gray—to be replaced with a dark pearl color. Soon she would be a blinding white like her mother.

In a small, slightly cramped store right in the middle of Diagon Alley, this owl was having trouble sleeping. She stood on her perch, in the cage next to her mother's, and tried to close her large amber eyes. She was still only an owlet, not yet old enough to be bought and taken away from this tiny store.

_'Why are you still awake, my child?'_ her mother asked her when she noticed that her daughter was still awake. She ruffled her feathers and rearranged her wings as she turned to face the small, white owl.

_'I can't sleep,'_ she explained sadly. She turned her head away slightly and blinked down at the floor of her cage. Her mother looked questioningly at her daughter, as if asking what she wanted. The owlet finally opened her beak, closed it again, and then said as she looked around the store, _'What is it that we are all waiting for?'_

Her mother shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her daughter's penetrating gaze. Her mother often thought her daughter acted too intelligent for such a young owlet. _'For a family,'_ mother explained simply.

The owlet sat up straight on her perch eagerly. _'But we are family aren't we?'_

Mother lowered her head and rubbed it against hers. _'Yes, love. But someday we will all be sent off to other families.'_

_'You mean those funny looking humans that are always coming in and out?'_ she asked curiously. She watched them from her cage every single day. She would watch all sorts of strange creatures that her mother called 'humans.' She watched as they would take the other owls and leave… she never saw those owls again.

_'Yes,'_ mother went on. _'When a human comes in and chooses one of us, we are taken away to become Post Owls.'_

_'What's a Post Owl?'_ she asked confused.

_'Like I am and like you will be someday, once a witch or wizard comes here and chooses you,'_ her mother started. _'We are very important to these humans. They send things called letters and packages to other humans. It is our job to deliver them to the right person.'_

The owlet nestled into her downy neck feathers to listen. _'But why do they do it?'_

Her mother looked up to see a small family of these 'humans' looking at a handsome Great Grey Owl. _'It's how they stay connected to each other. We are important dear. We owls have an exceptional directional sense. That is why humans treasure us so—so that they can connect to those that they love.'_

Her daughter sighed as she watched a pair of red-heads buy the Great Grey Owl.

"I think we should name him Errol!" the little boy said to his mother and brother.

"Why that name?" the second boy with red—though they didn't look like feathers—on top of his head.

"I like it," the mother answered as she ushered them out of the store. "Come on now," she cooed to them. "We have to go and meet up with your father and Percy at the Leaky Cauldron…"

The little owl watched them leave before she looked up at her mother and asked, _'Mother? Why don't I have a name?'_

Her mother looked at her sadly. _'You will get a name, love,'_ she promised. _'When you have been chosen. And no sooner.'_

A couple more weeks after that talk… her mother was taken away as well. She watched sadly, as her mother was picked up by an old couple—she didn't take her eyes from her mother until she left the shop.

_'MOTHER!'_ she cried out desperately, getting as close to the bars of her cage as she could.

Her mother's head spun around to look at her just as they headed out the door. "You will be picked someday too, my child," she called back. "And when you do, that will be your new family."

That was the last time she ever saw her mother…

After a while, the little owlet had grown into a beautiful snowy white—looking just like her mother. But even after she grew to full size and had better coloring, no one ever came in and picked her. She tried hooting as loud as she could when customers came in, so they would notice her—but they just ignored her. Said that she was too 'noisy'.

When that didn't work, she tried staying silent, so that they would notice how quiet she was compared to the other owls. But when that happened, they didn't notice her. She had tried everything else she could think of to get someone—anyone to look at her. But no one ever asked about her. No one even looked twice at her.

This little store was all she knew. It was nothing more than a prison… a tiny world that she was tired of looking at. She wanted to fly… she wanted to learn the sky, to breathe fresh air. Most of all, though, she wanted a name… and a family like her mother had promised her. All the other owls got someone to love them, to take care of them. Except her…

Until that day when a small boy with green eyes came in…


	2. More than Familiar

_**Chapter 1: More than Familiar**_

A couple years had passed since the day that her mother had been taken and the little owl had grown up to be as beautiful as she was. It had been an early summer morning when she awoke at the sound of the tinkling bell. She blinked her eyes sleepily—wondering if today would be the day. Of course, her hopes weren't exactly high. After all, no one had ever noticed her before, and she saw no reason they would today.

But she knew that summer was about halfway over and that young witches and wizards often came in to buy owls for some reason. Here, it would be teeming with excited young ones, pointing and squealing over the number of owls in the shop. Because of that, all the other owls here knew that the odds of being chosen were higher than usual. Already, dozens of lucky owls had been taken and she would often watch them being carried out into the bright sunshine—her heart bursting with jealousy.

She had been living in this shop, in this cage, since she had hatched, yet she still didn't have anybody buy her. Every day she would hope that an owner would come and buy her, someone, anyone, to get her out of this dreary shop.

That familiar bell rang again and she opened her eyes to see young girl looking around at all the owls and was holding her father's hand. When she was a few feet away, she hooted as cutely as possible and ruffled her feathers impressively, hoping that she would be noticed.

When the girl heard her, she turned. She smiled broadly but… it wasn't her the girl was looking at. It was the brown Barn Owl next to her that had her attention. The slight bit of hope that had risen inside her died at once. Don't know why she was so surprised… it was no different than any other time… it was like she was invisible here.

The little girl had bought the Barn Owl and left soon after that. And so she was resorted to stretching her wings irritably and closed her eyes. Just as she was beginning to doze off, she heard the little bell ring again. This time, there was a young boy with silvery-blond hair and a pointed face. He seemed to have a permanent smirk plastered there, and his father looked the same.

Once again, she hooted to get his attention, but it was hard to hear any one owl with all of the other hooting and flapping of wings.

"Father, I want the best owl money can buy!" the demanded as he went around looking at every owl.

"Yes, Draco," his father said solemnly as he watched his son contemplating which one he would get. "But we need to hurry. Pick one and we'll go meet up with your mother."

"I'm not a child, Father," he said in annoyance. "I can do it all myself."

She stopped flapping her wings at once. She didn't like this boy at all. She wasn't going to be going with him. That was when he turned and looked over at her.

"I want this one," he said after a few moments of thought, and he reached for her. She backed into the edge of the cage. She wasn't sure why, but she just didn't like the idea of him touching her. She hooted warningly at him, telling him to go away. While she wanted someone to take her away from this miserable store, she wasn't so desperate to be taken by some spoiled brat.

Ignoring her warning, he stuck his fingers into the cage towards her and she nipped his fingers hard.

'_Get out!'_ she snapped. Now he had it coming… she _did_ warn him but he didn't listen.

As soon as she bit into his finger he pulled away, clutching his finger. "OW! Father… this animal bitme!"

'_Get lost!'_ she hooted furiously. He glared at her as he went and picked another owl. As his father went to go and pay for it, the boy walked back and shook her cage hard. She shrieked loudly, drawing the attention of the owner.

The boy shrugged and said, "Don't know what's wrong with it. You should do something about savage animals."

While the father complained, the boy shot her a triumphant look and walked away. She let out another loud hoot of anger as he picked up the cage of a large eagle owl. The owl looked as if it was sneering at her as well—she knew him. Good… now that idiot would have an owl that matched him. Once they left, she calmed down and laid her head against the bars of the cage. She slowly went back to sleep, dreaming of the night sky full of stars and the shining full moon…

She didn't know how long she had slept, but all too soon—later that afternoon—the bell rang again. She opened her eyes wearily and looked to see who it was this time. A very small boy with thick black hair came into the shop this time. His strange—_clothes_ they were called—were very big for him, and made him look even smaller than he was.

He looked very thin, like that one owl that had been brought in after he had returned from a long delivery through some kind of storm. It took him almost a week to heal from that. But it was this boy's eyes… such large eyes made of the brightest green she had ever seen. It made her think of the green fields and treetops that she often heard some of the other owls talk about. The boy walked timidly into the shop, as if afraid that he didn't belong there.

She watched him as he looked at the owls like every other person that ever walked in here. But there was something different about this boy… he looked so sad and lonely here… there was a feeling she knew all too well.

She kept her eyes on him until all the other owls around her began to hoot in alarm. She looked up at the door to see the form of a large man squeeze in. But he was also the largest man she had ever seen. But the man was so small compared to him, he was bumping into things and knocking things over. His hands were big enough that he could have encased her whole body with just one of them and easily crushed her to death. She gave him a warning glare as he walked by. He seemed a bit uncomfortable in the small cramped room, surrounded by distressed birds, many of whom were sitting above him.

But the boy continued walking around and around—she was unable to take her eyes off him. There wasn't anything special about him at first glance… but…

"'Ello there," said that huge man once he walked up to the desk and began to talk to the shop keeper.

"Hagrid," the old witch said wheezy. As the two began talking, the boy was still looking. At the moment, he was currently looking at a large screech owl. She followed him with her eyes. She didn't know why… but she felt that she had to get his attention. So when the boy was close enough, she let out another hoot.

He heard her and his big green eyes found hers; and she felt a gentle pull from her chest that extended all the way to the tips of her wings. He gazed at her for a moment before he walked over to her cage. He was small enough that he didn't have to bend down to look into her cage. He tilted his head slightly—and she mirrored his move.

That brought out a small smile.

She wasn't sure why, but she knew that she liked this kid at once. He held out a small finger through the bars and slowly moved towards her, as if worried that she would bite if he got to close. So instead, she moved forward this time and brushed her head against his finger.

Which caused him to smile wider.

"Now, who're lookin' at, Harry?" said a loud voice. She looked to see the large man coming over to see the boy.

"I was just looking at her," the boy named Harry spoke.

"Now who's this?" he said with a gruff but cheerful voice as he looked down at the cage. She gave a little hoot as he bent down almost double to get a close look at her.

"Oh, she's a snowy owl, not very trained," the shop keeper told them. "She almost ripped the fingers off the last boy who was in here."

But Harry wasn't looking at anything but her and she couldn't deny that she liked it. He was very sweet… she liked this kind of person.

"Arr, she's just a real beauty she is," the giant named Hagrid said and she ruffled her feathers impressively. She was warming up to this giant as well…

Harry turned to Hagrid and said, "I really like this one. I want her—that is…" he added, turning timid again, as if afraid that he spoke out of line. "You really don't have to…"

The giant just smiled as he clapped a large hand on his shoulder, almost knocking him to the ground. "It's yer birthday isn' it?" the giant asked. "And I said that I' get you an owl. You don' need to worry at all about it."

He then walked over to the desk, while the owl was almost dancing in joy. Finally, she had someone to take her… she thought back to what her mother had said before when she asked what they were all waiting for. _'For a family…'_ she had said.

Was this what she meant?

But then she started hooting quietly yet endearingly, hoping that they could hear her over the din of the shop. Hagrid had just paid for her as the shopkeeper went over to her. She was startled as the witch pulled out a large key and fitted it into her slightly rusty lock; but when the door opened, she invited her to climb onto her gloved arm. Hedwig hopped off of her wooden perch and patiently waited as she was put into a new cage.

The witch than began explaining how to take care of her to Harry, who nodded in understanding at every word. Once they were set, she handed her cage to Hagrid. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she informed him.

"There you are," Hagrid smiled as he handed her to Harry. "'Happy Birthday there Harry!" She chirped slightly in distress at being raised so high in the air.

"Thank you," Harry said as he stared at her in wonder, as if he'd never seen an owl before. "What's her name?"

"That's your choice," she said shortly. She was about to turn, but then she stopped—and she did a double-take as her eyes were staring at Harry's forehead. Curious, the little owl looked up as well. She didn't see anything there except a strange spot on his head. Though it wasn't like any other spot she had ever seen on any of the other owls or humans. But the woman was staring at it in amazement…

Humans were strange creatures…

"Ok," Hagrid said rather hurriedly, now almost pushing them both out the door. "We still have a little more shoppin to do before we call it a day."

After a loud goodbye, they were out in the bright sunlight and she had to hide her head under her wing.

"Hagrid, she's brilliant," Harry said grinning from ear to ear, holding up her cage to eye level so that he could admire her. She looked at him through her feathers. Yes, she decided. She knew she could trust him. Well, she would have to now wouldn't she?

She hooted kindly as he nodded back with a wide smile. Suddenly she wished she could do that as well. Because she realized that it was her that had made him so happy. They were now out of the shadows of the dark shop where she had spent her whole life, and into the sunny, bright world that she had always wanted to see.

**(Hope you liked it.)**


	3. Free as a Bird

_**Chapter 2: Free as a Bird**_

The white owl went to sleep not long after she was taken from the shop, not liking, or being used, to all the bright light from the street. She was jostled awake once or twice—such as when Harry was buying a wand from another shop, and when she was travelling on a strange creature called _a train_ whatever that was.

But when she fully woke up next, Harry was still there… but she in a very small room filled with strange objects. Harry was pouring over a large book on a large and soft looking nest near the window.

She hooted softly, letting know that she was awake. He looked up and smiled brightly at her.

"Hey there," he said softly as he put down the book and reached across to unlock her cage so that he could take her out onto his thin arm. She looked up at his kind face as he gently stroked her feathers—she shut her eyes for a moment, enjoying it at once.

"Do you want to go flying?" he asked her.

She looked up. Yes! Yes! Yes! She had been longing for it for as long as she could remember! She didn't want to wait another second! She hooted again and he laughed slightly as he got off from his nest and carried her over to the window. She had only ever flown a little bit… the furthest she had was across the shop that she spent her whole life with. He opened the window for her and let her jump onto the ledge. "Come back soon," he told her and she hooted to let him know she would.

This was it.

She spread her wings as wide as they could go and she jumped. The cool night air blew past her as she plummeted. But she flapped and suddenly she was airborne… stretching her wings and soaring through the darkening indigo sky.

The wind air blew past and she felt so free—more alive than she could ever remember feeling before. She hooted with joy as she swooped over the houses and light fixtures that littered the street. She went into freefalls and steep climbs, enjoying her first taste of real freedom.

As she fluttered over the street she saw it… a large, fat mouse hunting around for food. As she watched it stop to sniff an old wrapper, instinct took over and she swooped down low, her claws outstretched. The mouse never saw it coming.

Her wings were flapping hard as she tried to get airborne again, but pride was glowing in her chest. Her first catch! And it was strange… she didn't realize how hungry she was until she caught her food here. But as much as she wanted to eat… it was slightly harder to just fly with her meal in her talons, and so she turned gracefully in the air and flew back to the house.

The sun had completely set now and it was dark, but the window was still open. She fluttered through, surprising Harry as he was rubbing tired eyes. He jumped slightly until he saw who it was.

"Hey you," he said smiling again and she felt a sudden warmth inside as he stroked her feathers again. "You came back…" he said softly and she couldn't help but notice the sadness in his eyes. "Not that I would blame you if you didn't."

She looked at him in surprise. Why would he say something that? Did he not want her back?

He sighed as he leaned back in his nest. "They hate me," he said jerking his head to the door. "My, so called, family. See… they lied to me about what happened to my parents. I lost them when I was really little so I don't remember what they even looked like. But I wish that I could fly free from this place like you can."

She gave him a sad look. She knew how painful it was to see your mother taken from you. Harry didn't say anything else as he watched her eat the mouse. Once she was done, her body was aching to fly again. But she decided that she would wait until he fell asleep. It wouldn't be much longer now… he was yawning.

"But we'll be leaving soon," he said smiling hopefully again. "In a few weeks, we'll be going off to Hogwarts. That's a school where I'm going to learn magic." He was grinning now and she could almost feel the excitement coming from him. "Maybe I'll learn how to turn the Dursleys into slugs or something? What do you think?"

She would've laughed if she knew how, so she just hooted in agreement.

"Oh right," he said as if remembered something and he picked up one of the books on the table next to him. "I've been reading this and I think I found a name for you in here."

She stared at him, knowing that this was it. She watched as he opened it to a random page. She sat very still… wondering what name he chose for her. He looked up and asked, "Here… Hedwig… what do you think?"

Hedwig… that was her name…

She hooted in appreciation. He smiled again, "Well, goodnight then Hedwig."

Not long after that, he had gone to sleep. She watched him for a short time until she took off.

Hedwig… she liked that name.

*One Month Later*

Life with Harry wasn't as great as she had hoped. He hadn't been joking when he said that his family hated him. Just the next day a fat, ugly man came barging into the room… he was truly a cold-hearted man. She was forced awake as he pointed a fat finger at Harry and started threatening him not to perform any 'funny stuff' he called it while he was in the house or he would live to regret it. She clicked her beak furiously at him for talking that way to the boy which then led to him telling Harry to get rid of her. She shut up at once.

That was when Harry finally got angry and told him that if he tried to do that then he would just tell Hagrid that they made him get rid of her. This time it had been the fat man who shut up. She hooted loudly as he left, slamming the door behind him. Harry looked upset but he turned to her and said softly, "Don't worry… I won't let him get rid of you like that."

She felt relieved… she didn't like the idea of leaving him. But why were they so mean to her young master though? Harry had been nothing but kind to her… the way she saw it, they were the ones who were the problem.

The weeks went on and things changed slowly for her. She was used to getting sleep mostly at night because during the day people would walk in and out all the time and wake them up. But now, she was sleeping throughout the day, only waking once or twice when she heard a strange sound, and was out all night. She would be out for two to three hours every night, stretching her wings and soaring through the dark sky… hunting for her food.

She spent most of the time just listening to Harry. He would spend most of his time going through his school things, reading his books well into the night and telling her excitedly what he found out. That she would perch on the edge of his nest as he talked… telling her everything like what he thought his parents were like, about what he was going to learn, and how he was looking forward to finally leaving this place. Not that she blamed him there. His family was horrible just being in the same house with.

As he talked, she had grown very fond of Harry… how he cared about her and talked to her like she was just another human.

She also enjoyed watching his funny reactions. It was fun to watch his face as he would spend long hours looking through his supplies like they were the most amazing things he had ever seen. She did not see any signs of the giant man who had purchased her and given her to Harry though; and she eventually concluded that he wasn't around here.

And then the morning came that they would head to Hogwarts. She had returned at midnight from hunting, having caught two mice that night and finished them by the time that Harry woke up. He looked around him before he jumped out of bed and began looking around for his clothes. She watched as he finished packing everything into a trunk and insisted that she get back in her cage, which she reluctantly did.

Soon they were in what humans called _'a car'_ and were heading off to some unknown place. Now she didn't mind this, but she looked over at him, 'Where are we going?' she hooted to him as she watched everything go flying past them through the window.

He just smiled at her, but didn't say anything, also looking out as well. She then glanced over to the fat human next to them, who had moved as far as he could go against the side of the door—a look of terror on his face like he was afraid of Harry. Yet another thing she couldn't understand…

After a short drive, they got out at a large building that was full of people coming and going. Where was this now? She watched as the purple man carried Harry's trunk out and rolled it into the strange place on a thing with wheels as they followed. She looked around her, wondering what was going on. They followed him but then he stopped and turned to Harry. "Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

Hedwig and Harry both turned their heads towards a platform, but she didn't see anything special about it. When she turned her head back towards the man—but he was already running away from them. She clicked her beak angrily after him as Harry began looking around, looking scared.

"Well, Hedwig, I guess we have to go and ask someone," he suggested nervously.

Hedwig chirped encouragingly to Harry as he began pushing the cart holding her and everything else he own on it. Harry continued to push the cart forward until he ran into a plump train conductor.

"Excuse me, sir, excuse me," Harry said a little short of breath from pushing the cart all over the station. "Could you tell me how to get to Platform 9 ¾?"

After a short argument, the man then told Harry to get lost and she clicked angrily. How did he treat a fledgling like that!

"Now what do I do?" Harry wondered aloud looking around in a helpless sort of way. Hedwig turned her head around all the way again to see if there was someone else they could ask when she saw a family of redheads practically sprinting through the station.

"It's the same every year. Packed with muggles," said a round woman with red hair leading the way. "Alright Percy, you first."

And that was when she saw another owl and knew that they had to be magical as well.

Harry obviously noticed them as well because he turned the whole cart around to face them. Hedwig then turned her attention back to the family just in time to see the oldest boy run straight for the pillar…

She blinked… what happened? Those people passed in front of him for only a minute but he was gone! She watched as the next two boys went through, but they also disappeared… were they going through the wall now?

"Excuse me," Harry asked politely as he approached the woman.

As she watched, Hedwig decided that she liked kinda liked that tall red-head boy and the nice woman who could only have been his mother. It was nice to see other nice people for a change. As the woman told Harry what to do, she noticed the little girl standing there looking at Harry curiously.

Hedwig looked at her… now why did she suddenly have a strange feeling about this girl? But she didn't think too much about it for Harry now turned the cart around to face the platform.

'Harry?' she hooted, looking up at him. Sure, those other people had gone through fine, but Hedwig hadn't seen Harry perform any sort of magic yet, and she really didn't want to be slammed into a brick wall.

"Here we go," Harry whispered, though she wasn't sure if she was talking to her or to him.

Hedwig found herself unable to close her eyes as Harry took off at a slow jog that quickly picked up speed as he made their way towards the wall. Hedwig did her best to keep a loud screech down as they hit the wall… only to go through it like it was nothing but air. That was when she saw it…

It was another one of those things called trains… but this was different from the one that she had last been on… it was a bright scarlet color and it was jam packed with children and their families. Hedwig's eyes grew twice their normal size as she tried to take in all the sights and smells. Children were running in different directions, looking for people and carrying trunks, like Harry's, through doors. There were owls of all sort of shapes, sizes, and colors and most of them seemed to be confident in their loud surroundings.

Harry walked down the train for a short ways until he found a place that looked empty. First he picked her cage up and put her into the rack above his head before he tried to get his trunk up as well. Hedwig stared down at him watching him struggle. After a few minutes she hooted, wanting him to go and ask someone to help him. Even if he was able to lift the thing up, he wasn't tall enough to put it up here…

"OWW!" he yelled. She shook her head. Now that was twice he dropped it on his foot. That was when she heard a cheerful voice call out, "Want a hand?"

It was one of the red-haired boys that they followed in. Obviously having heard Harry's yell.

"Yes, please," Harry panted.

"Oi, Fred! C'mere and help!" the boy yelled and his brother… looking just like him came waltzing in as if it had been his idea. Soon, they were able to put the trunk up next to her.

"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

"What's that?" one of the boys said, suddenly noticing the strange mark on Harry's forehead.

"Blimey," croaked the second boy. "Are you —?"

"He is," his brother agreed at once before he turned to Harry and demanded, "Aren't you?"

"What?" said Harry, sounding annoyed and she agreed. What was the big deal?

"Harry Potter!" they both cried and she looked at them in surprise. How did they know his name if he never met them before?

She didn't hear what Harry said, but she didn't like the way they were gawking at him… she was used to it. It was like when little kids came into the shop and gawked at all the owls like they were toys or something strange. She didn't like it…

She was glad when they left. And she nestled back on her perch and waited. Soon the train thingy started moving and they were off, Harry staring excitedly out the window again. After a few minutes, the young boy that they met before came in and they started talking. She could tell that they were quickly becoming friends… now while she was happy the fledgling was making new friends, she couldn't help but feel like she had just been replaced.

She shook that thought out of her mind as she looked at the world outside and tried to get some sleep… vaguely wondering how long it would take before they got to this Hogwarts school that Harry talked so much about. Just when she was starting to doze, people kept coming into the compartment.

She didn't pay too much attention to the sad boy, or the loud girl when they entered, but finally three boys came in and soon there was fighting.

She let out a loud screech just as the rat, the pet of the red-head, reached over and bit the thumb of one of the stupid-looking boys. They left not long after that.

'_And stay out!'_ she called after them with satisfaction. She looked down to see the large rat there, in the boy's hands. She tried to call out to it, but it didn't wake up. Now that was strange… normally when she called out, the rats in the shop would at least look up at her before they turned back to their games or asleep.

She was going to have to keep an eye on him… she wasn't sure why, but she had an uneasy feeling about that rat.

She settled back down, but it felt that she had only closed her eyes when she felt the train stop. She opened her eyes almost irritated. Now what?

"We're here?" Harry asked, looking out the window, but unable to see anything through the darkened sky. She looked up as well before she hooted. _'What now?'_ she asked him.

Harry laughed opening up Hedwig's cage and petting her. She nibbled on his hand blissfully. "Alright Hedwig, we're here!"

He looked up and told her in apology, "Sorry, Hedwig, but we have to leave everything here for now. but they say that you'll be taken up while we're being sorted."

'_Sorted? For what?'_ she asked, not liking how he was leaving her. He gave her one last smile as the boy, Ron was his name, picked up his rat and they left.

She didn't have to wait long. After everyone got off the train, several very strange creatures appeared to take care of it. She watched as the long-fingered, bat-like eared, big eyed creatures took hold of the trunks and disappeared with loud pops and cracks.

Just then, one of them picked up her cage. She screeched in warning, but the creature didn't seem to mind as he opened the window and unlocked her cage. She was startled, but glad that she was flying again as she took off.

That was when she spotted hundreds of other owls also being released from the other windows. She watched as they all flew straight forward—and since she didn't know what else to do, she followed them. They didn't have to stay in the air for long before she saw it.

Surrounded by a lake lit by the moonlight it stood with its countless towers and turrets with windows glowing like giant stars in the already starry night sky.

'_Wow…'_ she chirped in amazement.

She almost dropped out of the air as she stared at the building… so this was Hogwarts? This was her new home? That was when she saw the owls all heading to a very tall tower filled with windows. She took a chance and followed again…

*Owlery*

They were walking in a large, tall circular room. Hundreds of owls were quietly hooting before her. Hedwig's large eyes scanned the room for a familiar face before she landed onto an empty perch. It was a little smaller than her cage, but it was also just perfect for resting. Hedwig settled herself in. She arranged her feathers as she liked them, curled her talons around the well-weathered perch, liking this place at once.

Feeling happy again, she looked around as the other owls were making themselves at home before they took off again, this time to go and hunt. She sat where she was for a moment longer, wanting to enjoy this feeling of home a little longer… wondering when Harry would use her to carry mail. But that wasn't important now…

She took flight as well, suddenly hungry, and wanting to see more of the castle. They were at least out of that horrible house now and didn't have to worry about that purple man or the others…

But after all these weeks of it just being the two of them together, she suddenly felt a little bit alone…


	4. Fledgling

_**Chapter 3: Fledgling**_

Despite the slightly chilly feeling in the air, Hedwig just couldn't sit still. She just couldn't bring herself to go back to the Owlery, she wasn't even hungry as she soared around the grounds and took in all the new sights and smells. Enjoying the night air, and the bright silver moon that shone overhead that casted everything in an eerie glow. She just couldn't believe that this was going to be her new home… what a grand place.

She flew over a hut near the forest before dodging the swaying of a tree that tried to kill her by throwing its branches at her when she got to close. She then flew over the lake that had the moon perfectly reflected on its smooth surface. It was truly beautiful… that is when she saw a giant rubbery arm stick out and she hooted in shock before she flew backwards, making her way back to the castle.

She glided around the lighted windows, trying to see into the rooms beyond—she kept this up for some time until she found her way to one of the larger parts of the castle and looked in to see hundreds of people all gathered together. She slowed down slightly so that she could look in.

To her surprise, she saw Harry taking off a very old and dirty hat before he went running to one of the four tables. She watched as one of the red-head boys they had followed through that wall get up from the table and shake Harry's hand eagerly.

Seeing that he was alright, she turned her wings around gracefully and went flying off towards the darkness again, wanting to explore the grounds again. She spent probably another hour flying before she spotted a couple barn owls hunting for mice.

Curious, she went over to them—but for some reason when she got near them they both took off, one of them even dropping his freshly caught mouse.

'_Hey!'_ she tweeted as she followed them.

'_Get lost!'_ the older one called to her as he headed back in the direction of the Owlery. _'The last thing that I want to do is talk to some fledgling now.'_

She felt herself puffing up with indignation. _'I was just coming over to see what you were doing!'_ Hedwig snapped her beak as she followed them. '_And_ _I am not a fledgling!'_

'_You're new right?' _the younger owl asked grumpily. _'I'm guessing that this is yours and your owner's first night here?'_

'_Yeah, so?'_ she demanded hotly. _'What's that got to do with it?' _

'_Exactly what it sounds like,'_ he answered and he flew off in the opposite direction. _'You are a fledgling to all of us so get used to it.'_

They then left her behind them—feeling as though she was off to a terrible start for only her first night.

*Next Morning*

Hedwig sat in silence watching all the other owls as they all dozed on and off constantly—as thought as if they were all waiting for something to happen, but were too tired to stay up. She was just wondering what they were all waiting for when suddenly one of the school owls fluttered through the open window.

'_He's coming!'_ he called out happily. _'He should be here in a second.'_

At those words, the other owls around her began hooting and flapping their wings in excitement. But Hedwig was completely lost here.

'_What is everyone so excited about? Who is he talking about?' _Hedwig asked the huge barn owl that was sitting next to her.

'_You really are a fledgling, aren't you?' _he asked in great annoyance.

'_Why does everyone keep calling me that?'_ she demanded at once. _'I'm no fledgling!'_

'_You are compared to everyone else here,'_ he answered her. _'Wait at least until next year.'_

She gave him a dark look until he sighed and explained, _'As to your question, we are waiting for Fawkes.'_

'_Who?'_ she repeated. _'Is he an owl?'_

'_No,'_ he clicked his beak angrily. _'Show some respect! Fawkes is the Headmaster's phoenix as well as his very own familiar. We are waiting for him to come and hear what he has to say.'_

Apparently, he could tell that she had no idea what he was talking about, for he went on in annoyance, _'And a familiar is a cherished and bonded relationship between an animal and their human partner. Get it? Now be quiet.'_

Before Hedwig could ask anything else, she heard a strange song coming from somewhere. Twisting her head around in all directions, trying to detect the source of the beautiful noise, when suddenly there was a great ball of fire erupted in midair and she screeched in terror.

A majestic and beautiful crimson bird with long flowing tail feathers and its entire body glowing with golden flames appeared out of the fire began to fly around the room. Hedwig felt her beak drop in awe as he gazed down at them all. She had never seen anything like him before in her life. She could see now why they were all waiting for him.

He took one last graceful flight around the tower before he landed without a sound on the perch nearest to the top so that they couldn't miss him.

'_Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts,'_ the great phoenix spoke as his black eyes gazed down at them_. 'I am Fawkes… and my master is the Headmaster, but I want you all to know that here, my home is your home. As is traditional, I will give you all a quick word before I let you all get on with the rest of the year. First, I'm thrilled to be welcoming several new owls into our Owlery.'_

Several owls hooted, but Hedwig kept silent. She would show them all that she was no fledgling. Fawkes then went on, _'Also, you are all post owls. You are here to deliver any and all mail directly to the Great Hall.'_ The phoenix paused for a moment to allow the owls to flap their wings and chip in understanding.

'_Finally, I need to tell you all something of great importance,' _Fawkes said._ 'This year, a very powerful and dangerous object has been hidden here inside the walls of Hogwarts for its protection.'_

Hedwig looked up at him, wondering what on earth this could be about. She started listen to every word he was saying.

'_As we all understand the importance of our roles,' _Fawkes went on._ 'As owls, your job is not merely to deliver letters and other mail to the students. No, your jobs are to protect and observe as it may be necessary for us guide our young children and to make sure that they don't make the wrong decisions. Now is the time for us all to come together more so than we ever have. For the truth is, our young Mr. Harry Potter has arrived at Hogwarts.'_

At once all the owls began tweeting and chirping and making so much noise the Hedwig could hardly hear herself think. Harry? Her Harry? What was this about?

Fawkes continued, _'Harry Potter may have come to Hogwarts, and my own master has taken a particular interest in the boy. But we both feel… that something terrible is after the child. So we all must stay on guard. It is up to all of you,'_ he paused to look at Hedwig in particular, and she wondered if he knew that Harry was her owner. _'…to make sure that he and all the other students remain safe. Now, if there is nothing else to be said, I must be off.'_

And when no one said anything, he bowed his head low and took flight—once again disappearing in a ball of fire. Hedwig felt a shiver run through her body, but it wasn't from the cool breeze that came through the windows. She did not like what he said about Harry being in danger.

She settled back onto her perch, wondering what was going to happen now. She slowly began to doze off… but near the end of the day, just when the sun was going down, kids began coming in and out of the Owlery.

She watched as boys and girls, mostly young ones, came in to greet their owls and tie letters to their feet before they took off through the window. Some of them merely came in to talk for a few minutes before they ran off as well.

It wasn't until the end of the day when she heard the sound of her Harry enter the Owlery.

"Hedwig? Hedwig? Where are you?" Harry's voice called and she looked down eagerly to see him coming up the stairs. He looked around and spotted her. "There you are," he smiled as he walked forward.

Eagerly, she fluttered down to his level so that he could stroke her feathers. She didn't realize just how much she had missed him already. For the last month, it had just been the two of them on their own… she never appreciated just how fond she had grown of his companionship.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were alright," he told her. Hedwig was so focused on listening to him talk, she didn't notice that the other owls were looking down at the two of them. Harry stayed for only a short time before he gave her an owl treat and a promise he'll be back to visit again soon before he left.

After Harry had gone, the Owlery remained totally silent as all eyes remained on Hedwig. She then turned around to face them, _'What?' _she demanded as if expecting a fight.

'_Hedwig, right?' _said the grumpy barn owl from earlier. She nodded. _'Harry Potter is your owner?' _

'_Yes,' _she answered with faint pride in her tone._ 'What's it to you?'_

'_Nothing,'_ he answered as the other owls took flight and began flying out the window for the grounds outside. _'Just that you're in for a rough time if what I've heard about that boy is true.'_

She stared at him just as the owl took off with all the others. She sat there for some time, even after all the other owls had left. What was this about? What was Harry story? She blinked before she took off as well, suddenly… she didn't want to know everything.

*A few days later*

Feeling the warm morning sun hit her feathers as a soft gust of wind carried her easily through the clear-blue sky was the best feeling in the world. Perhaps she would pay Harry another visit this beautiful morning? But she could tell that it was still a little too early for that, so she decided to just kill some time enjoying some flying before she headed off to see him.

As she swooped over the forest… she saw a very familiar figure in the distance below her. It was that giant… the same one who was with Harry the day they bought her from the shop. She couldn't help but wonder why he was here. She watched him coming out of the forest and head to a wooden house just on the edge of the trees.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she fluttered down to see how he had been doing. The window had been left open so she landed on the sill to watch the giant man walk the place, around making tea. She watched for a few seconds before the largest dog she had ever seen spotted her and let out a single bark.

Hedwig was just thinking about taking off when the giant turned to look at her and he gave her a bright smile. "'Ello there," he said to her. "Yer Harry's owl aren't yeh? Hard ter forget a beauty like you."

She blinked. Well, he seemed nice… though a little strange. "Yer know?" he said unexpectedly. "Wait there fer a moment."

Confused, she waited where she sat watching him pull out a sheet of paper and ink before he wrote something down on it. Completely baffled, she watched until he was done and he folded it up.

"Ok," he said holding out to her. "I need you ter take this ter Harry alright?"

Hedwig couldn't believe her luck! Her fist letter! Standing very still, she waited for him to hold it to her and she clamped it tightly in her beak.

"Now, off with ya!" he called happily and she took off at once.

Yes! Finally! She was a post owl! All she had to do now was find Harry and give it to him. Turns out her first delivery would be to Harry after all! What were the odds? Feeling pride fill her chest, she continued to soar around the castle…

She knew where to go… she remembered over the last few days when she had seen all the other owls all flocking towards one part of the castle. Wondering what was going on, she just knew that all she had to do was follow. She got in line and fluttered after them until she spotted a very large opening in the side of the building and just knew she had to go there. She flew in after a screech owl and found herself in a large room that had been filled with students.

Looking around, she spotted Harry sitting at one of the four long tables before she flew down to visit him and he had even given her part of his toast for a treat. But today, she would be able to bring him something this time.

She got in line with the other owls and soon she was back in that great room, filled with all the students having breakfast. She looked to the one table where Harry always sat at, and sure enough, she spotted him at once near the end of the table. She turned gracefully in midair and landed right beside the marmalade and the sugar bowl.

He jumped slightly at her sudden appearance, but smiled at once when he realized who it was. "Hello, Hedwig."

She wished she could smile as she dropped a note onto his plate. He looked at it in surprise before he picked it up and read it. He smiled broadly as he dove underneath the table and grabbed his bag to write a message on the back. He offered her his pieces of bacon for a reward as he quickly wrote down something, and she was only too happy to have.

"Thanks Hedwig," he said once she was done, and he held it out to her. "Now, can you take this back to Hagrid?"

She hooted at once, starting to enjoy how this worked as he handed it to her and she took off again. She was almost sorry that it was over. As soon as she left, she took the message straight back to Hagrid and he only gave her a bright smile and a offer of thanks. When he didn't give her anything to take back, she decided to just head back to the Owlery for some sleep. So was this what a post owl was? Whenever she saw the humans getting their mail from the other posts, they always looked so happy…

Was it their purpose to make others happy? She felt a little giddy at the thought. She hoped that she would be given another job soon!

But for now, she was looking forward to sleeping the day away before she went out hunting tonight.

*Later*

After a long night flight and getting her fill of mice and moles, she was back at the tower, taking a perch right between a couple tawny owls that belonged to the school. She looked at the male and female on either side of her before she asked them what a familiar was and what their job was. Fawkes sure made it sound like it was important.

'_That depends on the person and animal,'_ the female said to her in a tired voice. _'You are that Harry Potter's familiar and you have to do whatever it takes to do your job.'_

'_But what is a familiar?'_ Hedwig tweeted in confusion. _'And what is my job?'_

'_A familiar,'_ the male repeated sleepily. _'Most owls will never be lucky enough to find that special connection that comes with their owners. But you see, when a human is born, an animal is also born to walk beside that person. And if you're lucky enough, you will feel it…'_

'_Feel what?'_ she asked confused.

'_You must've felt it when you first met your boy,' _the female told her softly._ 'The warmth deep inside when he chose you. You feel it in the instant they touch you for the first time.'_

Hedwig looked between them, knowing that she shouldn't believe such a crazy story… but…

But she felt as if she understood what they were talking about. She had felt that spark with Harry when he had first touched her that day when the giant had given her as a birthday gift to Harry in Diagon Alley. That strong, warm feeling inside her when she saw that young child wonder around the shop before he looked up at her—and the terrible longing for him to choose her.

'_So, this means that I am Harry's familiar?'_ she stated rather than asked. _'What is it that I need to do?'_

'_Protect him,' _she answered tiredly, her eyes closing._ 'That is the most important job of a familiar—you are to protect your human pair.' _She sighted and finished by saying grimily, _'If you fail…'_

'_What?' _Hedwig urged on when the owl fell silent. _'If I fail then what will happen?'_

This time it was the male who answered, _'If you fail… then your human child is dead. That is not something that you want to go through… better to die protecting your other half, than live in a world without them. Remember that fledgling.'_

'_And why would that be?'_ Hedwig finally asked almost too afraid to know the answer.

The male had fallen asleep, but the female went on in almost a drone. _'Once your other half dies, it is as if a part of you is cut away from you… forever. It is almost as if a part of you will die with that person, should you fail.' _Her eyes suddenly started to close. _'Remember that fledgling. You only get one human bounded to your own soul… once you lose it, you will forever lose an important part of your heart.'_

And just like that she was asleep. The only sound in the room was the gentle breeze flowing through the window and the stray feathers fluttered around on the floor pathetically. But for the first time, Hedwig didn't mind being called fledgling for she now understood that she had so much to learn about the world.

She then sat up awake for a long time until the sun had risen high, and she felt her eyes close. If that was how it was, she never wanted to go through that! She made a silent promise never to let that happen.

**(Aww… isn't Hedwig sweet? I kinda thought that it would be just like the pet of Albus Dumbledore to give a lecture to them just like how Dumbledore gives to the students. If you ask me, those owls seem to be awfully well-behaved for birds. Hope you liked it!)**


	5. Owl Treats

_**Chapter 4: Owl Treats**_

The days at Hogwarts just seemed to fly by. It was a pretty simple life—she would sleep the days away in the owlery, and at night, she would soar above the grounds and forest, hunting for food. She would keep this up until morning came and she would go visit Harry before she flew off for some sleep. Everything was great… except for…

And she knew she couldn't complain, but Harry hadn't sent her with any mail since that first week. She would watch people come up to the owlery all the time to send letters and packages, and she couldn't help but feel a little bad that she hadn't been able to go on long journeys like they could. But she knew that she was being selfish for thinking like that. Her life was good…

On some days, she would fly out to watch the students walking across the grounds to classes, or simply enjoying the fresh air. She often saw Harry and his red-headed friend together, and she was glad to see him looking a great deal happier here than she had ever seen him at that house with those ugly people.

Content that her young master was happy, she focused on just enjoying her life here at the castle as much as possible. But one day, just as the sun broke the horizon, Hedwig awoke to the smell of warm pumpkin pies, juicy roasting meats, and fresh dinner rolls pouring from the castle. Now what was this about? Deciding to stretch her wings for the day, Hedwig took off to figure out what was so special about this say—for everyone seemed so excited.

Apparently, today was a holiday called Halloween, whatever that meant. Apparently this was the day they celebrated by having lots of candy and food? Humans were so easy to please sometimes. She shook her head, and took off from the hall. Later that night, she decided that she couldn't sit still for another second had had to go look for herself what was going on. So she fluttered back out of the owlery, enjoying the sights of all the students heading up into the castle for their dinner. She wished that she could go to it herself…

But instead, she settled herself on one of the many windowsills of the castle so that she could look at all the decorations as she cleaned her feathers.

But after a short while, something happened. She was just thinking about going off to look for a good meal when she saw someone wearing a purple cloth wrapped around his head slipping up the stairs and through one of the doors. What was this about? At first, she didn't pay too much attention to him as she went back to finishing her feathers… at least until _it_ came along.

When she saw it she let out a loud shriek.

Whatever it was, it most certainly wasn't a human. It was over ten feet tall with skin the color of stone grey—looking incredibly stupid and lumpy as its large feet were dragging across the floor. The smell coming from it was horrifying, she could smell it through the thick glass. She just couldn't turn her head away from watching it lift his large wooden weapon with it.

She watched in terror as it lumbered spotted one of the rooms and stuck it's head in before it lumbered in as well.

But what scared her most of all wasn't the hideous creature or the smell… it was the fact that Harry and Ron were right there as well. She couldn't believe her eyes as she saw the two young boys followed the monster right up to the room that it just went in. She was about to screech to them to run just as they slammed the door shut and took off. Oh, they were just locking the thing in that room… she sighed, glad that was all they were doing. Just as she was about to calm down, the boys both turned around and ran back to the door.

'_What are you doing?!' _she shrieked, trying to break through the glass to get to them. No good, they flung the door open and ran in—so all she could do was watch and wait. The minutes passed like hours as she waited there, terrified. She remembered what the owls said when they talked about being familiars and protecting your human. No, she couldn't lose her young master like this!

She was just wondering how hard it would be for her to break this glass when, all of a sudden, a trio of adults were all running up towards the room.

'_In there!'_ she shrieked at them, though she knew that they couldn't hear her, but thankfully, the three adults—obviously heading there themselves—went barging into the room as well. She was so worried, that she wasn't even thinking that the man with the purple cloth on his head was there with them.

After a few more agonizing minutes, the brown-headed girl that she saw on the train came out with her head down and almost sprinted up the stairs. Just after that, her boy came out and she sighed with relief. He was alright… he wasn't hurt… but she had to make sure.

She took off, and immediately flew up to the tower window where she knew that he would be. She didn't know how she knew, but she just knew which window she had to go to so she could find him. After several hours of waiting, she saw the door through the glass open and he walked in. She sat up on the windowsill and hit the glass with her beak to get his attention. Harry, who was getting ready for bed, looked up and smiled when he saw her. He walked over to open the windowpane and she stepped in.

'_Are you ok?'_ she asked as she looked him over, making sure that he was in one piece.

"Hey, Hedwig," he said smiling and stroking her feathers. "I had such a big day… someone let a troll in."

A troll? Was that what that ugly creature was? Why would anyone let that _thing_ in? "We went looking for Hermione," Harry went on, "See, she didn't know about it, so we had to go and warn her. And we did find her… except… the troll found her first. I still don't see how we got out of that in one piece."

Hedwig rubbed her head against his hand. _'Well, if you were helping out that girl, then I can forgive you this time,' _she told him firmly, though knowing that he couldn't hear her. _'But don't do something like that again.'_

He talked to her a little while longer about their adventure when the other boys came in, and she decided that she better let him get some sleep. After he gave her a treat, she left, deciding that she would get a little rest before she took off hunting.

*A couple weeks later*

Harry had become good friends with the girl they saved from the troll. Her name was Hermione—and humans thought that owls had strange names. But the point was, she would often see the three of them walking around on the grounds together, and sitting with each other when she came into the hall to visit Harry. She was growing very fond of them both…

Just the other day, she saw them all sitting outside with some blue fire keeping them all warm when one of the adults—teachers—who went after them on Halloween—telling them all off for something. She wasn't sure, but something about that guy she really didn't like.

But there was more excitement in the air a few weeks after the incident with the troll. Something called 'Quidditch' whatever that was.

In fact, she sometimes saw Harry flying at night on a broom; something that she had seen the store owner used to sweep the floors when she had still been trapped in that dark shop. But she had no idea that you could actually _ride_ on it! It was amazing… Harry wasn't a bird, but he flew like one.

They would practice at night, which she enjoyed watching them practice this game, she often had to fight the urge to go out and fly with him, but she didn't want to bother them. But from what she overheard, apparently they would be playing against some other flyers today. She wanted to watch.

She never saw anything like it. There were fifteen players—seven in red, seven in green, and one in black in white—all of them on brooms. They would all dive, climb, soar and even attack the other players while avoiding two black balls that tried to attack them and fighting for a red ball. Thankfully, Harry would soar above them all and out of harm's way. She shook her head. Humans were strange creatures indeed—the games that they would come up with…

But then, halfway through the game, something happened. Harry suddenly lost control of his broom and was soon dangling from it as it tried to throw him off. She screeched in panic, wondering what on earth was happening now. Was this part of the game? If so, they really need to change these rules. But after seeing the other players looking on in terror, she guessed that it wasn't.

But before she could fly out there to him, Harry suddenly re-gained control over was able to get back on his broom long enough to head straight for the ground.

She had no idea to what happened after that, but she was only glad that it was over and her boy was back on the ground. What did she get herself into? That boy was going to scare her to death if he kept doing crazy stunts like this.

She flew above the trees, trying to calm down and nothing did that better than when she felt the wind through her wings. Weaving through the trees as if in an airborne dance, Hedwig flew in gentle arches over the tree tops and through branches; as she was starting to relax, she saw something moving out of the corner of her eyes. Curious to see what it was, she turned and glided back without a sound—and there she found herself in a clearing with a single large tree and someone sitting there.

It was then that Hedwig took noticed of a small quivering figure. Flying for a closer look, she recognized him from the night with the troll. What on earth was he doing here? She touched down on a nearby branch, watching him.

Suddenly he began speaking to himself, at least she thought he was, she couldn't see who else was here.

"I promise Master, you will have it soon," the man said with a confident tone as thin as wet rice paper. Who was he talking to? "But Dumbledore has been moving it around. He should move it back down into its chamber after Christmas however…"

What Hedwig heard next could hardly have been considered words, but more like a cold hiss that sent a shiver through Hedwig's feathers and made her shiver. "No, no one suspects a thing," the man continued clearly showing signs of stress in his quivering voice and nervous glances around the forest. Then there was more hissing, this time not cold but sounding like it was on fire and that the very tree on which she perched would go up in flames at any moment.

The quaking man looked as though he were going to either pass out on the spot or throw up when there was some rustling in the trees in front of them. Hedwig looked up to see a familiar black cloaked wearing figure of the man who told her master off the other day. He limped over to him from the trees with a scowl on his face that looked murderous.

"Professor Quirrell, out for a stroll enjoying the twilight are we?" the man said in a taunting tone knowing that he wasn't nothing of the sort.

"P-P-P-P-Prof-f-f-fessor S-S-Snape, h-h-h-how lo-lov-lov-lovely to see you," the other man replied. His sudden change in speech patterns threw Hedwig off guard. He had just been speaking fine a moment ago, why was he suddenly so scared?

"Don't play dumb with me, Quirrell. I've seen you sneaking about the castle when you think others are not looking," the man named Snape said practically spitting acid at carpet head with each word.

"I-I-I-I was j-j-j-ju-j-just…"

"Save your breath," Snape hissed so menacingly that she almost took flight in fear. "I know you are up to something, Quirrell, so why don't you tell me what it is you are doing or else give me a reason why I shouldn't go through my storage room so I can brew something that will make you."

"I-I-I-I was j-j-ju-ju-just checking on s-s-s-some things t-t-t-t-to use f-f-f-for class," this Quirrell character was stuttering worst than ever. "I-I-I don't kn-know what y-y-you're t-talk-talking about S-Sev-Severus."

"Seeing is I do not care to hear you stutter any more, I will not check on your story. However, I will be watching you, Quirrell, very closely," he hissed and backed away. "But I'm warning you not to try anymore stunts like you did this afternoon at the match."

And then, with a wave of his cape, Snape turned to walk back towards the castle as quickly as he had appeared. Hedwig didn't like this. She had to keep an eye on both of these men. She took off, suddenly losing her appetite and wanted nothing more than this day to end.

*A few days later*

Snow soon came to Hogwarts, and this was a holiday she understood. When the snow came, she often saw people coming into the store to by owls as Christmas presents. Knowing that you were supposed to give gifts, she had decided to fly back to that house where she and Harry would spend that month together near to Christmas to see if his 'relatives' were going to be kind enough to give him something.

It was the longest journey she ever had, and she felt bad for leaving Harry there at the castle without her. But she hoped to make up for it by bringing him something. But when she finally found the house, at first they panicked and the ugly woman tried to throw a few pots and pans at her, which she dodged.

She clicked her beak furiously at them, and after a while, she put together a small package and gave it to her, telling her to get lost now that she had something. She gave her a fierce look before she took off, only to happy to get out of there.

Though glad she was to be flying back to the castle with a package, she felt terrible that it was so small. She could hardly feel it attached to her leg for crying out loud. But it was all she had for her boy.

Harry was far too sweet to be related to these people.

**(Sorry for the wait, but hope you enjoyed this chapter! As far as we know, she could've been there watching this.)**


	6. A Painful Heart

_**Chapter 5: A Painful Heart**_

Something was wrong with Harry, she just knew it.

She knew him well enough by now to sense it. Her young master really seemed to have enjoyed Christmas… but for the rest of the holidays, he didn't seem to be sleeping right. She visited him in the Great Hall and could see how tired he was, how he would just pick at his plate of food as if he wasn't hungry. What was wrong?

One morning at breakfast, she overheard Harry telling Ron was having terrible nightmares.

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron. Hedwig rolled her eyes—some comfort he was. He could've said it in a nicer way… but what mirror were they talking about?

She was glad when Hermione came back and was able to get them all shaped up. Once everyone was back over break, Harry seemed to be a little happier, which she was thankful for. Especially, during the nights when he would go out and fly with the rest of the team.

She would watch every night to see if the team would go out and practice on the brooms. They weren't there every night because others would take the field—all dressed in blue, yellow, or green. But she liked the red team the best.

She could see that it was a lot of hard work, but Harry seemed to really enjoy it so that was good by her. But one day, just a few weeks later, during a very wet and muddy evening, the oldest-looking boy came forward, as the two red-haired boys pretended to fall off their brooms. She believed that they all called him wood… what a strange name.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

One of the red-headed boys really did fall at those words. But why? What was wrong?

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

Most of their protests made no sense to Hedwig, she just watched as the boy called out loudly over the string of complaints, "It's not my fault. We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but she noticed that Harry headed straight back to the castle… looking scared. She knew that he was thinking about the last time that Harry had been up during a game… she made a promise to watch this next one and make sure that he was safe this time.

She ruffled her feathers and looked up at the raining skies. She took to the skies, wanted to dry off in the owlery.

*The Game*

Hedwig kept watch over her boy for the longest time, making sure she was at the game and watching them all. She kept a very far distance away to make sure that no one could see her, but was close enough to keep an eye on everyone.

She didn't know what would happen this time, but she didn't want to risk anything happening. This time it was a team dressed in yellow instead of green and the greasy-haired man that she didn't like was there this time instead of the woman with yellow eyes. She didn't like the way that he kept glaring at Harry as they all took off.

She watched very closely, the man Snape glared at them all, blowing the whistle when one of the red-heads hit one of the black balls towards him. But only a few minutes in, Harry had gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. She shrieked in panic, did he suddenly fall?

But then she saw him speeding right at Snape—who turned on his broom just in time as Harry shot passed him as a red blur. She had no idea what happened next, only that Harry had pulled out of the dive, holding his arm up as the stands erupted into cheers.

She watched Harry quickly landed, and she was about to fly over to him—to see if he was alright—when she saw the old man, who she had seen in the Great Hall when she came in the mornings, coming over to talk with him.

She blinked as she watched the two talk for a short time… before they all went up to the castle. That was it? What was there to worry about?

She shook her head, ruffled her feathers. Humans… such strange creatures.

*Later*

The rest of the day passed surprisingly quickly as she sat up in the treetops, watching the night come. She was just thinking about hunting around for a fat mouse when she saw something moving from the castle. Turning her head all the way around, she could just make him out.

A man, with a hood and dressed in black, was coming down the stairs. Curious, she watched him running towards the trees, and decided to follow. She spread her wings and took off over the forest, circling low until she heard voices. She landed in a tall tree and she saw them both again.

Snape and the man who gave her a bad feeling from before. Quirrell was his name?

"I'm glad that you had enough sense to come after all," hiss a voice and she suddenly realized who it was underneath the hood. It was Snape.

"Y-y-yes," Quirrell stuttered. "… d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," Snape hissed softly. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Stone, after all."

She tilted her head. Stone? What stone where they talking about?

"B-b-but I s-sti-still don't kn-know w-w-what you w-want from m-me," Quirrell mumbled before Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

What beast? Couldn't humans speak clearly for once?

"B-b-but Severus, I —"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him.

"I-I don't know what you—"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

But before he could explain further, she saw something moving in the tree next to her. She turned to see what it was, and to her astonishment, Harry was there, on his broom, leaning in to see. _ 'Harry?!'_ she hooted loudly, but her hoot caused him to nearly fall out of the tree. She froze as he regained his balance and they both heard Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't —"

"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."

She and Harry sat there in the tree until Snape left. Once he was gone, Harry, breathing hard, suddenly took off. She watched him go, suddenly feeling very afraid for once.

Then, below her, she heard a dark hissing sound. Jumping, she looked down to see Quirrell seemed to be talking to himself.

"Yes, Master," he muttered. "He is an irritating thorn in our side. But don't worry. I promise, once we find out everything we need to know, we'll act. The stone will be ours by the end of the year."

That was when he turned and walked into the trees. She watched his retreating back until he was out of her sights. She just sat there in the trees; wondering just what on earth was going on here.

*A few weeks later*

Hedwig did her best to put that conversation out of her head as she went back to watching her boy. Making sure that he stayed out of trouble, and that he got enough sleep at night, and she was glad to see that he seemed to be doing that.

Nothing much happened over the next few weeks, until one evening, when she was sitting in a tree near Hagrid's cabin, enjoying a freshly caught mouse, when she could see the trio going up to the house.

"Who is it?" Hagrid's voice called before he let them in, and then shut the door quickly behind them.

That was strange, she thought that the hut had been empty. But now that she looked, she could see that there was thick smoke coming out of the chimney. She looked at it curiously for a moment, suddenly having another uneasy feeling. She watched for a long moment before she spotted the three of them leaving the hut in a great hurry. She kept a close watch on their retreating backs until they reached the castle.

She suddenly had a bad feeling about all this.

*Days later*

A few days later, when she went to visit Hagrid—and hoping she could get some idea to what he was up to in there—as soon as he opened the window, he almost grabbed her as he pulled her in. She let out an angry hoot, but his hand was gentle as he brought her over to the table.

But she wanted to get out; it was so hot that she almost couldn't stand it. But when he set her down, she could see that there was an egg there. Not just any egg… but black—and it was almost as large as she was. Larger than any owl egg and she stared at it—something was moving inside it. Was it a large owl? If it was, she would have to stay away from it.

Hagrid, who had just finished his message, had tied the note to her feet. "For 'arry," he told her. "And make it fast!"

Only too happy to get out of this heat, she took off towards the castle. But she knew right away that something was wrong when she brought it to them. Harry quickly untied it and looked over it. He turned white and showed it to his friends. Once they looked up at him, they all looked extremely anxious.

"Let's skip Herbology and go and see it!" Ron whispered in awe.

See what? Whatever that was in the egg? Was that what they were talking about?

"No," Hermione said sternly, grabbing her bag. "We mustn't!"

"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" Ron demanded harshly.

Dragon? What was a dragon? Hedwig felt the urge to bang her head into the table. Was it really too much for someone to explain what they were talking about?

"We've got lessons," Hermione hissed to him. "We'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"

"Shut up!" Harry whispered. At first, Hedwig had thought this rather rude, at least until she saw that it was the blonde boy that she had bit back in the shop. She watched as he stopped to listen in on them. The look on his face screamed bad news.

She glared at him before she took off, looking forward to getting some sleep in the owlery.

'_What's a dragon?'_ she asked one of the barn owls once she arrived.

They all looked surprised at her question, but it was an older owl who explained. _'It is a giant lizard who shoots fire,'_ he explained. _'They don't normally bother themselves with owls, because we're too small for a meal. But they are dangerous. Stay as far away from them as possible.'_

Hedwig's eyes opened wide as she stared at him. To a dragon, they were hardly more than a meal? Were they really that big? She hoped that she would never see one for real.

*Three days later*

Unfortunately, her hope didn't last long. For a few days later, Harry came up to see her in the owlery with a letter in his hands.

"You'll have to go out to Ron's brother Charlie in Romania," he explained, holding up a letter for her to see. "I know that you've never been there, and it's a lot farther away than you've flown before, but it's really important. You understand? If anyone but Charlie reads this, then we could all get into big trouble."

Hedwig hooted in understanding, wondering what this was about this time. But she stuck out her leg and let his gentle fingers tie it on before he carried her to the window. "Safe flight," he said as he held his arm out and she took off into the bright, sunny sky.

How was she supposed to know where to go? She didn't have a clue were this Romania was… but it was like a little voice inside her telling her where to go. Off she flew in one direction, over the lake and forest; she didn't know how it worked, but she just… knew that this was the right way.

It surprised her to see that it didn't take her as long as she thought it would to find this Charlie. After several days of almost, non-stop flying, stopping only to get a drink of water from passing lakes and ponds, she was far southeast, in a vast countryside and knew that she was close. She was just wondering which way to go next when she saw it.

It had come out of the clouds so quickly that she didn't see it until it was almost too late.

A large lizard with black wings came flying at her. But it wasn't any ordinary lizard… this one was large enough to crush half of Hogwarts castle with its tail. It had spikes going down its back, and great claws that could crush her body without any trouble. The scales of the creature flashed in the sun as the leathery wings, like a bats, flapped so hard that it almost blew her off course even though she was far away.

With a screech of terror, she dove down and hid in some trees until the monster had passed. Breathing hard, her heart feeling like it would burst out of her chest, she took off as fast as she could. She wanted to find this Charlie as soon as possible and get back to Harry.

*Later*

Finally, she found the guy.

He was cheerful, a strong-built man with red hair like Ron's… but what scared her was the fact that he worked with these creatures. So that thing she saw in the air was a dragon? Who would ever want to study them? But she was glad when she found him so that she can get this stupid letter off her leg.

She was flying over, what looked like a camping site set up on the edge of a large forest, for there were so many white tents set up and a bunch of men and women walking around and talking with one another. At first she panicked. How was she supposed to know which was Charlie?

That was when she spotted a redhead walking arm-in-arm with a boy with thick blonde hair, into one of the many tents.

She wasn't sure how she knew, but it was like pure instincts were saying,_ 'Yes, he's the right one.'_

She dove under the flap and into the tent, taken them both by surprise.

"Must be for you, Jack," the man, Charlie, called as he leaned over the table, for some kind of chart. The man named Jack walked over and examined the letter.

"Nah, pal," he said grinning. "Yer name's on it. Must be from home."

Blinking in surprise, Charlie reached over and took the letter off her leg. He flipped it up with on hand and read the letter. With every word he read, his eyes got a little bit wider until they looked ready to pop out in astonishment.

"What's wrong?" the man named Jack asked, watching his face, the smile dropping slightly.

Charlie shook his head. "That man… should've known he'd do something like this one day. But how in the world could he have…? Well, you've got to admire his dedication. But still… he doesn't have the slightest clue to how dangerous it is…"

"Have what?" Jack asked bewildered. "Who're talking 'bout?"

"I'll explain in a minute," he said and he dragged him from the tent. Hedwig sat there on the table, waiting. She walked around the table, looking at the charts and pictures of those dragons. Though she couldn't read a word of what they said.

After a few hours, Charlie came back with a letter.

"Hey," he said, seeing her there, looking over what appeared to have been a feeding chart. "I'm glad that you waited around. He took the letter and tied it to her legs. I need you to take it back to my brother. I swear, Hagrid's really outdone himself this time. An illegal dragon in his hut? And a Norwegian Ridgeback at that! They're one of the fastest growing dragons in the world! We've got to get that thing out of there as soon as possible."

She wasn't sure what this was about, but she hooted in understanding as he carried her out of the tent and she took off, back to Harry. Flying as fast as she could as to not have to see those creatures again.

*A few days later*

It was a very late night when she saw the castle in the distance. Wearily, she fluttered up to the tower where she knew that Harry would be, though she didn't expect him to still be up. She hoped he was, she wanted to sleep in tomorrow morning.

To her delight, there he was in the room with Hermione and Ron, Ron—who's hand was wrapped up in a bloody cloth. She landed on the sill and tapped loudly against the glass. Harry looked up and saw her, and jumped up to let her in.

He opened the window and called to the other two, "She'll have Charlie's answer!"

She didn't realize how much she missed her young master until he took off the note and they put their heads together to read it. After a brief conversation, Harry petted her feathers gently.

"Thanks Hedwig," he said gratefully and she hooted proudly. She hoped that he'd understand why she wouldn't be there to greet him for breakfast the next day. She wanted to sleep.

Things were pretty quiet for the next couple of days. Harry hadn't come to her with anymore letters, and she had recovered very quickly from her long flight. Late one night however, something very strange happened.

It was very late, and she was flying high, watching the shadowy grounds…

She felt a soft gust of wind, and rode it up a few feet, when she saw them. It was a group of people on brooms flying out of the dark. She climbed higher to avoid hitting them and watched as they went to the tallest tower of the castle—where a couple small figures were standing there.

Curious, she flew around for a closer look at what was going on and she was started to see that Harry and Hermione were there with a large crate—that appeared to have been moving.

Now what was that boy up to? The people on the brooms flew in close to the castle and they began talking. They didn't stay long. She watched as they latched the crate into a harness between the brooms and they took off.

Hedwig watched as they all shook hands and said their goodbyes. Once the guests had left, Harry and Hermione both went down the stairs… leaving behind something silvery.

*Morning*

The next day, she went to see Harry in the Great Hall like she always did; but something was wrong. He was sitting at the end of the table with Ron, Hermione, and a boy called Neville… each one looking miserable.

'_What's wrong?'_ she asked as she rubbed her feathery head against his hand.

He just gave her a feeble smile that she didn't like as he gently stroked her wing. "At least I know that you still like me," he said sadly.

What on earth was that about? Of course she cared about him. What on earth happened?

Later that day, she discovered that he and Hermione had been caught out of bed and were now hated by almost everyone in the school. She continued to watch them during the flying sessions at night, but they were all giving Harry a hard time. She hooted angrily at them all as they walked by him as if he wasn't there.

For goodness sake, he's only an owlet himself! What on earth did he do to make them hate him so badly?

She visited him as often as she could, and she could see that he seemed to cheer up slightly whenever he saw her flying in. Though she didn't mention it, to anyone, she felt a slight bit of pride at that.

But the rest of the school kept giving him bad looks, and said mean things to him and his friends. What for? They were caught out of bed for goodness sake! Why were they given such a bad time? She tried to watch over him, sometimes even visiting his room in the tower whenever at night to see him.

This kept up until late one night, when she was hunting, she saw a small light from the castle. Curious as she always was, she fluttered overhead, and she spotted Harry and Hermione, as well as Neville, and—she clicked her beak irritably, that snobby boy.

An ugly man was leading the four of them across the dark grounds—Neville was sniffling. The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. She kept above them, and behind so that they couldn't see her. Once they got nearer to the little house, she heard the giant's voice yell out, "Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf?" she then heard the ugly man grumble to Harry. "Well, think again, boy — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

At this, Neville let out a little moan, and the snobby boy stopped dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" he repeated with a squeak, not unlike a mouse. "We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard."

Wolves? She couldn't ever remember seen any dogs in the forest before. And what is a werewolf?

"That's your problem, isn't it?" the ugly man, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?"

She landed in a tree on the very edge of the forest, hiding in the leaves as she watched the as Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, his dog at his heel. He was carrying a large weapon in his hands, one that she didn't even know how to describe.

"Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," the grouch answered coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it?" Hagrid growled at him in a way she approved of. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," ugly-face snapped, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle.

She clicked her beak, _'Go jump in the lake! Might do you some good!'_

"I'm not going in that forest," stuttered a voice, and she looked down to see the snob now shaking.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," Hagrid, said fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—"

She tilted her head. What?

"—tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."

The snob didn't move. He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze, much like how an owlet would do to an older owl.

"Right then," said Hagrid, looking up at them all. "Now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."

He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze ruffled her feathers as she peered through the branches.

She then saw that there was something thick and silver on the ground. What was it?

"Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood."

She blinked. Unicorn blood? She remembered flying over the forest and seeing them run. She had a particular young one whom she was friends with. She enjoyed racing him through the trees as she flew overhead. Now that she thought about it… she hadn't seen her friend for a few days… oh, she hoped that it wasn't he wasn't hurt.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't finish hearing Hagrid explanation, but she did hear the snob ask fearfully, "And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?"

"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

"I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go."

She kept close to Harry and the others. She would hop from branch to branch, as it was too narrow to really fly, always keeping her young master in her sights. They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked.

Again with werewolves? What were they?

"Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures."

Now that she could understand. Her friend always did beat her when it came to speed.

"I never knew one ter be hurt before. You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!"

She almost couldn't hold back a shriek of fear at his words, and watched as Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into that strange weapon, raising it, ready to fire.

She held still, wondering what on earth was happening… and then she heard it. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away.

"I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be."

"A werewolf?" Harry suggested.

Enough with the werewolf already! She didn't have the slightest clue to what that was, but if they made a sound like that, she never wanted to meet one.

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now."

They walked more slowly, she kept Harry in her sights, ready to fly in if something happened… and then she heard something move up ahead.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!"

And she almost fell out of the tree at what came out of the trees. The strangest thing she had ever seen. A human man with red hair and a beard came into the clearing… but below him… a horse?

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?"

He walked forward and shook the hand of the man-horse.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?"

"Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."

A centaur? What a strange world this was.

"We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly.

"Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm —" Harry muttered.

"A bit," said Hermione timidly.

"A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight."

She looked up, but saw nothing but stars. Now what were they talking about?

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again. "Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."

She felt the need to hit her head against the tree like a woodpecker. Would someone just talk plainly here?

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin' Ronan? Anythin' unusual?"

"Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright."

"Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?"

Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets."

She was longing to call out for him to make up his mind when a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan appeared.

"Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid," said Bane, and Hedwig hoped that he would be more helpful than Ronan was. "I hope you are well?"

"Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?"

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply.

Oh, what she wouldn't give for them to talk in a way that makes sense? What is Mars?

"We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."

Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, and she was only too happy to leave as well.

"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."

"Are there many of them in here?" asked Hermione.

Hedwig certainly hoped not. Just two were enough to make her head swim.

"Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… they know things… jus' don' let on much."

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before."

They walked on through the dense, dark trees. She noticed that Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder, like he could sense that someone was there.

"Hagrid!" screamed Hermione, pointing over her head. "Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!"

"You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!"

And Hedwig couldn't believe it. He just left them alone in the middle of this forest. They huddled underneath a large tree, looking around fearfully.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione.

"I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place."

She kept her eyes on every little leaf or twig that moved. She wasn't going to let anything near them if she could help it. The two huddled closer together, waiting…

At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return—though she could see that he was looking furious. The Snob, and the boy named Neville, were with him and from what she could make out, the Snob tried to scare Neville, who panicked and sent up the sparks.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done."

She watched as her boy was forced to leave the other group. Furious, she waited until they were gone before she gave an squawk at them, making them jump. Neville hid behind Hagrid, who raised his weapon.

"Hedwig?" Hermione called, seeing her in the tree.

"Who?" Neville asked nervously.

"That's Hedwig," Hermione said, sounding relieved. "Harry's owl."

'_And proud of it,' _she clicked, soaring off, away from them, to keep her boy in her sights. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. But she noticed that there was a lot more of the blood on the ground.

"Look —" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop the others. And so did she and she saw why. She let out a soft chirp of sadness… it was her friend… she recognized his shining main and silver horn.

She couldn't take it, she wanted to tell Harry to just turn and leave… but he had already started moving towards it. That was when they all heard a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered…

Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. She couldn't move for fear as she watched the cloaked figure slither across the ground like a snake, and when it reached the unicorn… it began to drink from the wound in its side.

"AAAAAAAAAARGH!"

The scream from The Snob was what brought her out of her horrified glance and she looked down in time to see that he and the dog both ran away—leaving Harry there alone.

She tried to scream for Harry to move, but the creature spotted him and made its way towards him. But Harry suddenly fell, clutching his head as if something was hurting him. She had enough.

She spread her wings and swooped down, but the branches were in her way, she couldn't get there in time. Fear clutched at her heard… when she heard a sound behind her.

Someone was racing towards them and she flapped her wings to take her up just in time to avoid being hit. It was another centaur, a younger one with white-blond hair and a palomino body. He charged at the monster, which bolted.

Relieved, she fluttered back up to her branch, her heart racing as she watched the centaur quickly turn back to Harry. After a moment or two, Harry looked up.

"Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet.

"Yes — thank you — what was that?"

That's what she wanted to know. She wanted to fly down there and land on Harry's shoulder, make sure he was alright. But before she could, the centaur said, "You are the Potter boy. You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back.

There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty.

'_A little late don't you think?'_ Hedwig squawked at them.

"Firenze!" Bane thundered, not sounding so dreamy anymore. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

"Do you realize who this is?" demanded Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better."

Hedwig was on his side and nodded fiercely, even though they couldn't see her.

"What have you been telling him?" growled Bane, coming closer in a threatening way. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

Who cares? Her owlet was in danger and Firenze saved his life! Who cares whatever planets said?

Ronan pawed the ground and said in a gloomy voice, as if commenting that there was going to be rain tomorrow, "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best."

Bane kicked his back legs in anger.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on.

"Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

She would've applauded him if she had hands. So instead, she bobbed her head at every word. And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could.

She fluttered down as close as she could get and shrieked at them, causing them both to jump and spin to face her. She gave them both a cold look before she headed up. It was getting harder and harder to follow Harry in this forest, so she could only trust that Firenze would take him back to Hagrid.

She kept going up until she broke through the treetops, feeling better in the fresh air.

What was that creature? Why would it be killing unicorns? She felt a pang of grief for her friend. Just what was going on here?

She landed on a thick branch outside the forest and waited. Soon though, the group came out. She sighed in relief, glad that Harry was with them and they all headed up to the castle. She kept her eyes on them all the way up to the front doors. Only then, did she feel that it was safe for her to relax, though she couldn't do anything but sit there, thinking about everything she had seen tonight.

*A few days later*

Hedwig kept a close watch on Harry over the next few days even though it was sweltering hot, and the bright sun hurt her sensitive eyes. That first morning after they went into the forest, she went to see him. He offered her his bacon, but she ignored it as she landed on his shoulder, rubbing her head against his cheek.

"What's gotten into you?" he smiled as he ran his finger on her white feathers.

'_You were almost killed last night,'_ she told him crossly. _'What did you think?'_

"Hey, Seeker!" yelled a voice.

Seeker? Who was that? But when Hedwig looked up, she saw that the boy called wood, who was always yelling at the others during their flying sessions, was coming over to him. She looked around, trying to figure out who 'Seeker' was. At least until he came up to Harry.

"Look, practice is tomorrow night, try not to be late," he said, speaking as if he was speaking to someone disgusting.

"Right," Harry said sadly.

She glared fiercely up at the boy as he marched away before she hooted softly to Harry and rubbed his cheek again in a comforting way. He gave her a forced smile, but still looked sad. _'Ignore them, owlet,' _she told him. She didn't know when, but somehow she was starting to get attached to the name owlet.

He took a deep breath before he said, "Thanks, Hedwig."

She hadn't seen him much after that, except for breakfast. Harry had been inside almost all the time now. So it was a little bit of a surprise when she saw the three of them almost running up the path towards Hagrid's house during one particular hot afternoon.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," she heard him say to his friends, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?"

A dragon? What? They came from eggs like she did? Somehow she found that hard to believe.

"How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron and she had to wonder that too. But they reached the house where she had been watching Hagrid taking some green plant apart and putting them into a bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

Now what was this about?

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling about this? Harry sank down next to the bowl. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah… he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after… so I told him… an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon… an' then… I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks…"

She could see that the trio looked at each other anxiously, but Hagrid just went on, "Let's see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home… So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

She rotated her head. Fluffy?

"And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts?

She blinked. A three-headed dog? How do you feed that thing?

"So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?"

But her young master and his friends were already running back up to the castle. Now what was that owlet of hers doing?

*Late that night*

Hedwig had a bad feeling all night, but she did her best to ignore it. She didn't see the three of them leave the castle again that day, and when darkness crept over the land, she tried to convince herself that they were in bed. Surly, they couldn't be planning anything dangerous tonight did they?

Instead, she spent her time hunting on the grounds, looking for some mice for dinner. When she flew over the treetops later on, she saw someone running across the grounds, and towards the front doors of the castle. She flew a little closer and saw the billowing robes and silver hair. It was the old man who had been talking to Harry at the end of that last game.

Now why was he out so late?

She didn't really pay him much mind as he ran up the dark stairs and the door opened for him. She just put it out of her mind as she allowed the night wind to carry her up a few more feet…

And that was when it happened.

A terrible pain roared in her heart, making her feel as though someone had stuck something long and sharp into her. She screeched in pain as she plummeted towards the earth—the pain was so terrible that she couldn't stand it; she just wanted to hit the ground and black out… to die…

But at the last second, the pain lessoned and she was able to throw out her wings just before she hit the ground. Her wings caught the wind and she skidded across the cold grass before she just lay there, shivering. What was that? Gasping for air, feeling as though something was tearing her insides apart, she knew she had to get out of here. She needed to get back to the owlery… she tried to flap her wings, but was in so much pain that she couldn't take off.

Instead, she walked as close as she could get to the nearest tree and huddled at the base—shivering. She curled up, wishing that the pain would just go away…

And soon… little by little… it did. It wasn't until the sun rose did the terrible pain inside her faded away to a dull ache and she was able to move again. She took off towards the owlery at once, wanting to get some answers here.

Later on that day, she learned that her young owlet was now in the hospital.

'_What?'_ she demanded as she heard some of the Screech Owls chattering about it. _'What about Harry?'_

'_He almost got himself killed last night what I heard,' _one of them said at once. _'He's now lying asleep in the hospital and no one can wake him up.'_

Hedwig sat there in shock. And as if from another life she remembered what these owls had said about being a human's familiar. How, if their human should die, the pain they would leave behind would be unbearable.

That's what happened last night! Her boy was almost killed and she felt that… oh no…

She took off and flew around the castle for hours, hoping she could find the room where Harry was. She swooped past every window, looking in, mostly seeing empty classrooms or people talking in the corridors. She ignored them all.

For an hour she looked… until she found him. It was on the west side of the castle, and he was in a large room that was filled with several beds. He was the only one in there, except for an older lady who was leaning over him anxiously. She landed on the sill and she watched. Suddenly, the door at the end of the room opened and the old man she had seen last night came in. He glanced at Harry in concern before he looked to the woman and asked something she couldn't hear through the glass.

She watched as the woman nodded her head before she shrugged and looked down at Harry. The old man bit his lower lip anxiously, but nodded in understanding.

The woman then held up her hands and seemed to be asking something; which caused the old man to reach into his pocket and pull out a red stone. He held it up, and the bowl that the woman had been holding fell to the floor as she stared at it.

Hedwig stretched out her neck, wondering what it was, but the old man left after that and the woman soon disappeared into the back of a room.

Hedwig just went back to staring at Harry, wishing that the window was open so that she could sit by his side.

*Three days later*

Hedwig sat by the windowsill for almost three days, watching him sleep. She would see people coming in, handing out gifts and sweets, but her boy never woke up. She left only at night when she could grab a quick meal before she would come back and wait… hoping that he had woken up.

She stared through the window, as if willing for him to wake up. But it wasn't until the third day when the old man came back in for a visit and sat with him…

They both sat there for almost an hour… and then, finally, Harry's green eyes opened. She let out a loud call of relief, but they couldn't hear her.

The pain in Hedwig's heart disappeared as soon as Harry sat up and began questioning the old man. Feeling at ease, she decided that she could leave now.


	7. Back in the Cage

_**Chapter 6: Back in the Cage**_

Hedwig was so relieved that on the day they were to leave, for her young master seemed to have recovered from his ordeal. She was forced back into her cage as they got back, but at the moment she didn't care. She was so glad to see Harry face-to-face and alive that she felt that she could put up with anything for now. He smiled at her in a tired way as they got back onto the train; and he told her that they would be back at that house for only two months before they would be able to come back.

Hedwig wasn't too sure she liked that. To go back to that house with those horrible people? But he also said that they might go visit Ron soon though. Oh, she hoped so… she wasn't sure if she could stand being in that house with those ugly people again for two months.

As if sensing what she thinking, Ron spoke up just as they were getting off the train, "You must come and stay this summer, both of you — I'll send you an owl."

She hooted in agreement as Harry thanked him. As they walked back through the wall, she overheard some of the kids call out things like:

"Bye, Harry!"

"See you, Potter!"

She tilted her head. Now what happened? Just a week ago they wanted nothing to do with him, but here they were saying goodbye?

Just then Ron leaned in and whispered to him, a grin on his face, "Still famous."

"Not where I'm going, I promise you," said Harry, his own smile a little forced at those words. For a minute she wondered what he was talking about, at least until she remembered the three pigs back at that house. Oh, she really hoped that they wouldn't be stuck there for too long.

The trio walked on together until she noticed a little red-headed girl standing there with her mother. For a moment, she looked familiar and Hedwig tried to think back. Just then, she cried out in an excited voice, "There he is, Mom, there he is, look!"

It was then she realized that it was that same little girl that she had seen on that day a long time ago. Hedwig could see that she hadn't changed a bit as she continued cooing to her mother in an thrilled way.

"Be quiet, Ginny, and it's rude to point," her mother scolded gently as she smiled at them.

"Busy year?" she asked as they came forward.

"Very," said Harry. As the two talked, Hedwig shook her feathery head as she privately thought, _'You don't know the half of it.'_

They talked for only a short time before she heard another familiar voice say rudely, "Ready, are you?"

Oh, great. She looked up to see that the walrus of a man was coming towards them, looking as ugly and as mean as always. She narrowed her eyes as he came up and started snapping at Harry to hurry. She let out a call of annoyance at him as Harry said his final goodbyes to Ron and Hermione before he followed him.

Hedwig's head twisted around so that she could look at the group of people, silently hoping that they would get them away from these people as soon as possible.

*A Month Later*

During the school year, Hedwig had heard of the great Harry Potter. However the boy, who currently owned her, wasn't like the powerful warrior that everyone had been led to believe he was. Instead of the great hero, she saw instead an under-nourished and unloved young boy who clearly needed her as much as she needed him.

She remembered how he smiled when he said goodbye to his two friends… that was one of the last times she saw a smile on the boy's face for quite some time after they were told to go "home" for the summer. This place was certainly no home for any decent human or owl. Those despicable people he called his family treated him terribly and she tried to offer him as much comfort as she could as he lay up at night, staring up at the ceiling from nightmares.

She remembered that as soon as they got back to the house, the ugly man had taken all of Harry's things and locked them underneath a small door under the stairs, telling him that he wouldn't be allowed to have them back all summer.

She hooted furiously at him and he added with a snarl that he was just lucky that he wasn't putting her down there with the rest of the junk.

"What are you doing with that bird? You want the neighbors to believe we are mad?" he shouted pushing him to make him crash against the door. "Is this what keep you in touch with those… things?"

She shrieked at him, warning him to keep his fat hands off Harry, who glared back up at him—but didn't say a word.

"Well, I'm going to fix that," he said as he dragged Harry and her up the stairs and threw them into the room when she came to live with Harry.

"No more nonsense, no more animals, no more stupidities," said Vernon, putting a big lock on the front of her cage, "I'm going to lock that! I don't want to hear any word from that stupid world you came from! Not a word! Nothing!"

"You can't make me," Harry warned, and for some reason, the man seemed nervous as if he thought that Harry would do something, but he stood his ground.

"I don't care, you stay here. I don't know how you convinced me to let you go to that madhouse in the first place but that shall not happen again," he adverted slamming the door before leaving Harry sitting on his bed in deep helplessness.

She hooted softly at him and he smiled, gently moving her to the table next to his bed. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But as soon as we get the invite from Ron, we'll leave, ok?"

Hedwig calmed down slightly, hoping that they get the letter early tomorrow morning.

And that has been their lives since that day. She had been trapped inside her cage, while Harry was wandering around the house. Harry spent most of the time in his room with her, only leaving for a couple hours every day such as to eat or go outside. She hated it here. At least last summer she was able to fly…

"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU?" thundered a voice downstairs early one morning. She glanced down to the floorboards as she heard more shouting. "ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE? HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY?!"

She then heard a crashing sound like something slamming a hammer on the table. She shook her head. This wasn't anything new. She heard that fat man yelling at Harry all the time… usually for no reason.

She looked to the window at the clear, blue and let out a hoot of longing. She just shut her eyes trying hard not to think about it and to dream of the soft wind underneath a night sky filled with stars. But she wasn't asleep for too long for she heard more shouting, this time, from outside.

"MUUUUUUM!" howled the fat man's son. "MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!"

Now what? She kept glancing angrily down below at the floor, wishing that they could all just shut up. If she had to be trapped in this cage for another month or so… she didn't want to hear those three talk.

She closed her eyes again and forced herself to sleep.

But all-too-soon she was once again awoken by a loud banging sound, but this time it sounded like it was right next to her. She woke up with a screech, beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage.

Harry was there, quickly trying to get her to calm down before he turned his head to look behind him. She stopped and stared at what was there. Sitting there was a creature just like the ones that had let her out of her cage from the train when they arrived at the school. But this one was dirty, beat-up… and now slightly cross-eyed… not like the ones she saw before at all.

"Dobby had to punish himself, sir," the little creature said, "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…"

"Your family?" Harry repeated, now sitting down across from, who she assumed was Dobby.

"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir…" he went on. "Dobby is a house-elf — bound to serve one house and one family forever…"

So they're called house-elves? Strange creatures.

"Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously.

Dobby shuddered and Hedwig would guess no.

"Oh, no, sir, no… Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir —"

"But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?"

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…"

Now that the shock was wearing off, Hedwig couldn't help but feel bad for him. She tilted her head, wondering just what was happening here.

"But why don't you leave? Escape?" Harry asked, his tone full of bewilderment. Hedwig was just wondering that herself when Dobby went on.

"A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…"

Harry leaned back in his seat. "And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said.

'_It is bad, Harry,'_ Hedwig thought grimly.

"This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. Can't anyone help you? Can't I?"

That was what she loved best about her human boy. He truly was selfless, he hardly ever thinks of himself even when he really should.

But then Dobby started howling again in tears.

"Please," Harry whispered frantically, looking to the door anxiously, and she knew that he was worried about getting into trouble. "please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here —"

Then they'd take it all out on him. She was now also wishing that Dobby would shut up.

"Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…"

Harry, who was now turning a bright red color then snapped back at him, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, she —"

He then stopped and her eyes saddened. He's been doing that a lot lately whenever he thinks of his friends. They said that they'd write, but so far, he hasn't gotten any word from them. Just what was going on out there? She was furious with his friends as they hadn't sent Harry a single letter. She had to watch as he grew more and more withdrawn believing himself unlovable just as his despicable relatives had been telling him. How she longed to be able to tell him this wasn't true.

She listened in to their conversation… but what Dobby said here almost made her fall to the floor of her cage.

"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."

What? Can't go back? You mean that the two of them would be stuck here forever? Just the idea of staying here for another month made her want to bang her head against the bars. The idea that she would be able to fly free again once they went back was the only thing that she had to keep her sane. Harry then voiced exactly what she was thinking.

"W-what?" Harry stammered. "But I've got to go back — term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. You don't know what it's like here. I don't belong here. I belong in your world — at Hogwarts."

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."

That made her stop. She remembered the terrible pain that she had been in that night when Harry almost died. Was she willing to risk something like that again?

"Why?" said Harry, going almost as white as she was.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over in fear. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" said Harry at once and Hedwig leaned in to listen, wondering what was going on here. "Who's plotting them?"

To her astonishment though, the elf started to bang his head against the wall again.

"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning me?" He suddenly fell silent and he croaked out, "Hang on — this hasn't got anything to do with Vol — sorry — with You-Know-Who, has it? You could just shake or nod."

Slowly, Dobby shook his head.

"Not — not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, sir —"

"He hasn't got a brother, has he?"

When Dobby shook his head again Harry said, "Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts. I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing — you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?"

The old man again? She still couldn't see what was so special about him.

As they continued talking, Dobby was punishing himself again. But what scared her was when the footsteps and the voice of the fat man coming upstairs. She stayed quiet as Harry shoved Dobby into the closet.

Then he came through the door. "What — the —devil — are — you — doing? You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke… One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!"

Feeling scared that the fat man would make good on his promise, she glared at Dobby as Harry let him out.

"See what it's like here?" he hissed. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got — well, I think I've got friends."

"Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?" said Dobby cautiously. Hedwig's eyes widened even wider. How did he know about that?

"I expect they've just been — wait a minute," said Harry, frowning but then he stopped as he looked down at him suspiciously. "How do you know my friends haven't been writing to me?"

"Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby," the elf said at once. "Dobby did it for the best —"

"Have you been stopping my letters?"

Hedwig couldn't believe this. So the reason they were still stuck in this house was because of him?! Oh, if she could get out of this cage, she would be attacking him right now. And just like that, Dobby pulled out a thick stack of envelopes.

"Harry Potter mustn't be angry… Dobby hoped… if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him… Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir…"

Mustn't be angry?! How can they not be furious with what he was doing? Harry seemed to lose it as he lunged for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of the way and cried out, "Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!"

"No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!"

She clicked her beak approvingly as she watched Harry chase him out of the room. She waited—expecting him back right away…

But she waited and waited… she heard a scream downstairs after a short time but then it all fell silent… it was to silent… like a grave and she shuddered, now having a bad feeling about this.

It was about another hour when she saw him again, but when she did, he was being dragged by the dangerous, ugly man who threw the boy into the room before he slammed the door shut behind him… Hedwig then heard a loud _'click'_ as Harry forced himself up to his knees and looked at the door.

And when she saw the scared, miserable look on his face, it was then that Hedwig knew that Harry was in a locked cage just like her…

**(Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoyed this chapter though!)**


	8. Two Jailbirds

_**Chapter 7: Two Jailbirds**_

Hedwig couldn't believe what was happening to the two of them.

For two days Harry had been locked up in this room with her. The ugly people who lived here with them had made sure that he couldn't leave. They even had a man come out and put up bars on his window—bars like hers. She hooted furiously at the man as they watched the man place them up on the outside.

Harry didn't say anything as he stared gloomily at them. But that wasn't all those people have done—they also made it so that Harry would get food passed to him through a small hole in the door. They only let him out for a few minutes twice a day…

The rest of the time, they were trapped in here together. How dare they do this to a fledgling?

Harry was forced to stay here, pacing the room like a caged animal, staring longingly out the window every time he passed it. Hedwig understood how he felt as she stared out at the clear blue sky, and wishing for a chance to fly. The longing she had felt when she had been trapped in that shop, and now here… she wanted to break out of here and spread her wings so badly that it hurt.

At night she would watch Harry as he lay on his back and stare up at the night sky, his face full of misery.

She tried to chirp once in awhile to comfort him, and they did help once in awhile… but before long he would stare back out again. "Sorry, about this," he sighed to her; she was the only other person here after all, "If I could, I'd make sure that we leave and never come back, but we can't. I really don't know what's going to happen to us."

Hedwig, from her vantage point in her cage, gazes at her little owlet with concern. She hooted sadly, offering what console she can.

He smiled at her gently and stuck his fingers through the bars so that he could stroke her feathers. "Maybe tomorrow would be better?" he said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement to her.

'_Maybe, little owlet,' _she said softly,satisfied at last that he was asleep.

*The next day*

Harry was truly selfless, he hardly ever thinks of himself even when he really should. The little food that was shoved through the door for him, he always made sure to give at least half of it to her. But it was clear to her that he needed food a lot more than see did at the moment. But she believed he took her reluctance to take his food from him as being a fussy eater. Oh well, she ate it eventually although she wished that he had more for himself.

"It's no good turning your beak up at it — that's all we've got," said Harry grimly as she watched him put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the door and lay back down.

*That night*

Hedwig was staring out at the moon that night, like she always did, and wondering just what was going to happen to the pair of them. Harry was sleeping for once, but it seemed to her as if he was having nightmares, he kept tossing and turning every few minutes.

She gave him a sad look before she gazed at the overcast sky, the moon peaking just behind a cloud. Assuming that the two of them would survive the next month, would they be allowed to go back to Hogwarts?

She a feeling that if those ugly people had their way, they were going to make sure that the two of them spent the rest of their lives trapped in this miserable room. She wished that she could bite off each and every one of their fingers for this.

At that moment she could see two strange lights shining above the house, next to the moon. She blinked. What was that? Stars? But stars don't move… wait, were they shooting stars? She heard from the other owls that humans make wishes on stars like that.

'_Ok,'_ she thought._ 'If those really are shooting stars then I wish for us to escape from this place.'_

She watched as the stars blinked a couple time and—to her amazement—they turned in midair and were heading down to earth, directly towards them. She moved back as far as she could against her cage and stared ahead in terror. What was happening? When it came closer, she thought for sure that her eyes were going to pop out of her head. For they weren't stars at all! It was an old turquoise car flying through the air and stopping just outside their window!

She was so stunned that she couldn't bring herself to make a sound. That was when she saw three familiar red-heads looking out the window.

And one of them was that boy Ron!

They came to save them! He was pulling at the bars on the windows. The noise was quiet, but it was still loud enough to wake Harry.

"Stop it," Harry muttered. "Leave me alone… cut it out… I'm trying to sleep…"

'_Don't sleep!'_ Hedwig called. _'Now's not the time for sleeping! Harry get up!'_

He opened his eyes. She watched him blink as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing and his jaw hitting the floor. "Ron!" he gasped and crept up to the window so that he could open the window and they could talk. "Ron, how did you —? What the —?"

Harry's mouth fell open even wider as he saw the flying car and the twins sitting in the front seats.

'_That was my reaction,'_ Hedwig said to herself.

"All right, Harry?" one twin asked him.

"What's been going on?" Ron demanded from him. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you'd got an official warning for using magic in front of Muggles —"

"It wasn't me," Harry said at once. "And how did he know?"

"He works for the Ministry," said Ron. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside school —"

"You should talk," said Harry, and Hedwig had to admit that he had a good point.

"Oh, this doesn't count," said Ron. "We're only borrowing this. It's Dad's, we didn't enchant it. But doing magic in front of those Muggles you live with —"

Hedwig rolled her eyes. Enough with the talking! Get them out of here already!

"I told you, I didn't — but it'll take too long to explain now — look, can you tell them at Hogwarts that the Dursleys have locked me up and won't let me come back, and obviously I can't magic myself out, because the Ministry'll think that's the second spell I've done in three days, so —"

No! He had to beg that they take them with them now! They might not live till then!

"Stop gibbering. We've come to take you home with us," said Ron and she felt her heart soar at those words.

"But you can't magic me out either —" Harry began but Ron jerked his head to his brothers and said, "We don't need to. You forget who I've got with me."

"Tie that around the bars," the other twin said, throwing the end of a rope to Harry.

"If the Dursleys wake up, I'm dead," said Harry as he tied the rope tightly around a bar and Fred revved up the car. She looked to the door, knowing that he wasn't exaggerating. Knowing that this was their only chance for freedom, she stayed quiet and watched.

"Don't worry," the first twin said again, "And stand back."

It went as smoothly as they had said. Soon, the car had been able to pull the bars right off the window until they were dangling off the ground. Panting, Ron hoisted them up into the car. Hedwig felt like she was going to cry.

When the bars were safely in the back seat with Ron, Fred reversed as close as possible to Harry's window.

"Get in," Ron said.

"But all my Hogwarts stuff — my wand — my broomstick —" Harry said.

'_Harry, worry about that stuff later!' _she wanted to tell him. _'We need to get out of here!'_

"Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and I can't get out of this room —" Harry explained.

"No problem, out of the way, Harry."

She watched as the twins climbed like cats through the window into the room. They then went for the door.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick," one of them said pulling something that she had seen girls wear, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

They worked on the door for a few minutes before she heard the clicking sound and the door opened.

"So — we'll get your trunk — you grab anything you need from your room and hand it out to Ron," they told him and left.

"Watch out for the bottom stair — it creaks," Harry whispered back. Harry dashed around his room, collecting his things and passing them out of the window to Ron. Then he went to help Fred and George heave his trunk up the stairs. She was just wondering when they would take her when she watched them heave the trunk into the room and slowly put it into the car.

"Okay, let's go," a twin said as he got back into the car..

She couldn't believe this, Harry was starting to climb through the window. Now she will put up with a lot, but being left behind wasn't one of them! Is he crazy?

She then let out a loud screech, reminding them that she was still here.

"THAT RUDDY OWL!" screamed a voice from outside the door.

"I've forgotten Hedwig!" Harry cried and tore back to her.

'_You think?' she_ thought at him furiously as he snatched up her cage and handed her to Ron. She was placed into the seat next to him and watched as her young master just got back on the chest of drawers and was about to come out when someone hammered on the door and it banged open.

For a split second, the fat man stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.

The other three in the car seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.

"Petunia!" roared the fat man. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

'_Put your backs into it!'_ she cried as they pulled. Finally, with one more tug, they had managed to pull Harry free and slammed the car door shut.

"Put your foot down, Fred!" yelled Ron, and the car shot suddenly toward the moon.

She couldn't believe this! Looks like wishes really did come true. She twisted her head around to Harry, who had stuck his head out the window and roared back, "See you next summer!"

'_Oh, I hope not,'_ she thought as she looked down to see those three awful people hanging out of the window, looking stunned.

They all roared with laughter as Harry then turned to Ron and said, "Let Hedwig out. She can fly behind us. She hasn't had a chance to stretch her wings for ages."

Those words were like music to her. She watched as Harry gave her an apologetic look and knew that she just couldn't be angry at him for long. _'I forgive you this time,' _she told him as Ron managed to open her cage.

She flung herself out the window and into the air, enjoying this moment of freedom. The cool night air felt so soothing on her feathers, her stiff wings hurt slightly from not being used for so long, but she never felt more alive. She then looked over to see Harry's face through the glass as he talked to the other boys. _'I forgive you this time… but I won't be so forgiving if you do that again.'_

*Just as the sun rose*

She followed them all through the night. She dove through the clouds and always made sure to stay near enough to the car so that she'd know where they were going. Just as it was starting to get light and the first golden rays of the sun were starting to stretch across the land, casting dancing shadows over everything—they were near a countryside and the car was starting to descend.

Soon, they were outside a crooked looking house that was surrounded by trees and bushy grasses. It was amazing! Compared to that house they had been trapped in for so many weeks, it was like paradise.

She looked down to see that Harry was getting out of the car with the other boys. As they were talking, she noticed that a woman with red hair had come out of the house. She recognized her as the nice woman who had been so kind to help them out before. She would've smiled if she could…

Feeling that she could leave Harry in their hands for now, she took off to some of the trees behind the house and fluttered onto one of the branches near the top. She would rest here for awhile—her wings were out of shape and it had taken a lot out of her just to make it this far. But as she leaned back against the branches and leaves—her eyes closing as the warm sun warmed her feathers—her overall feeling was relief.

They were safe and out of that terrible house at long last. She knew she could trust this family; they would take care of Harry for her for now so she could take a break from worrying about him. Harry's a real handful and a lot to handle for just one owl.

**(Long time no write, I get it. But I'm stuck in school for most of the day and have my other stories to take care of as well. I'm sorry. But I do hope that you've enjoyed this chapter.)**


	9. Crash Landing

_**Chapter 8: Crash Landing**_

*September 1*

That next month at the Weasleys were some of the best times ever. She had enjoyed being able to come and go whenever she wanted as well as getting to know Hermes and Errol. Hermes was a great deal like his owner… very pompous and arrogant. Nonetheless, she did her best to be patient with him when he started going on and on about something or other. It was a good thing that he often went flying off to deliver messages to a mysterious someone. It was only later did she discover that stick-in-the-mud Percy had a very special girl that he wanted to keep in contact with. She laughed whenever she saw Hermes go flying off—wondering just why it was so important to be kept a secret.

She preferred to spend time with Errol—the owl that she remembered seeing bought one time from her time in the shop. He was really nice, though he didn't fly much anymore. She enjoyed spending a little time with him, but absolutely loved being able to stretch her wings out and soar through the sky whenever she wanted. She knew that any place away from that terrible house was paradise to her.

But what she loved the most was seeing how happy her young master was. For the first time in weeks, he was going around and enjoying himself. She would sit up in the trees and watch him play on the brooms with the redheads.

She was almost sorry that they had to leave, but she knew that she couldn't wait to see the castle again. Though she knew what she wanted… next time they had to leave, they should come right here… don't even bother going back to that awful house ever again.

But time just seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, it was time to go back to the castle. That morning was chaotic to say the least. People were running around like maniacs as they tried to get everything into their trunks, eat breakfast, and get dressed.

She was put into the car first with Hermes and Ron's rat. As she settled herself comfortably in her cage, she looked over at Hermes and he quietly explained to her, _'Happens every year.'_

She hooted in amusement as she watched them all struggling to get everything out to the car.

"Not a word to Molly," she heard the father whisper to Harry as he opened the trunk and shoved a few more trunks inside. Before she could wonder what he meant, he shut the door and everyone was climbing inside—finally ready to go. The mother looked at all the boys who were sitting in the back and heard her say, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they? I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

As they turned to leave, she twisted her head around to get one last look at the house. But she soon _did_ see it again when they went back three more times. The first time was to get a box that one of the twins forgotten. The second was for the second twin to run in and get his broom. And finally, it was when the girl shrieked about some book.

She didn't need to be able to tell time to know that they were all running late. That was when she remembered that the car could fly. Surely it would've been quicker to fly there? The father seemed to be thinking along the same lines for he said, "Molly, dear —"

But she also must've guessed what he was thinking as well for she said crossly, "No, Arthur —"

"No one would see — this little button here is an Invisibility Booster installed — that'd get us up in the air — then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser —"

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight —" she hissed at him, looking around anxiously.

So, instead of flying they drove the whole way… and by the time that they got to the station, they only had a few minutes left to get onto the train before it left.

"Percy first," she heard the mother say once they were loaded onto trolleys and were standing outside the familiar barrier.

One by one, they went through the wall and onto the train until she was left with Harry, Ron, and the mother and little girl. She then told the boys to come right after them and then they were gone.

"Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry as he checked the wall.

Harry made sure that her cage was secure before they were facing the wall. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see it, she could feel them starting to run and then…

CRASH!

Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and when she hit the floor she shrieked as she rolled away with a painful BANG! She couldn't hear anything that was going on around her as she began rolling away and tried to get out. She didn't stop until she felt the footsteps from the concrete and Ron picking her up. Breathing hard, she stared around, trying to calm down.

She glared at the boys as he brought her back and passed her to Harry, who had lifted his trunk back up onto the trolley.

"Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron.

"I dunno —" Ron said, staring around wildly, "We're going to miss the train. I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself —"

'_That's what you're worried about!' _she tried to shriek at them, but was too upset to do so. She was placed back up onto the trolley as Harry was now trying to push his way through. Once she felt her breathing calm down, she looked up at them to see them staring up at the clock until…

"It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?"

Harry gave a hollow laugh. "The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for about six years."

'_You mean they once did?' _she snapped.

Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier and said, "Can't hear a thing. What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us."

"I think we'd better go and wait by the car," Harry suggested, as he bent down to try and calm her down as she continued to hoot angrily at them for that horrible ride. "We're attracting too much atten —"

"Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!"

"What about it?" Harry asked and she glared up at him as well. Yes, what was he talking about now?

"We can fly the car to Hogwarts!"

What? He was kidding. There was no way. While she was grateful to that metal monster for saving her and Harry from that awful prison, she didn't think it was a good idea to _fly_ that thing all the way to the castle.

Harry thought so as well and said, "But I thought —"

"We're stuck, right?" Ron asked him. "And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy —"

'_Second what of restriction of what?' _Hedwig thought, not having the slightest idea to what they were talking about.

"But your mum and dad …" Harry asked, still pushing against the barrier as if he thought that it would give way. "How will they get home?"

"They don't need the car!" said Ron impatiently. "They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home!"

Wizards can do that? How come she had never seen them do so then?

"They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet…"

"Can you fly it?" Harry asked, now looking tempted.

Hedwig looked sharply up at him. _'No, Harry… this is a bad idea! Just wait for them to come back and tell them that you couldn't get in! I'm sure that they'll think of something.'_

But it was too late.

"No problem," said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express —"

Even when they put her safely into the back seat of the car, Hedwig couldn't help but feel as if something bad was about to happen.

"Check that no one's watching," said Ron, as he started up the car.

'_Please reconsider!'_ she hooted at them as Harry stuck his head out the window to look up and down the street.

When Harry gave him the all-clear, Ron pushed down on a tiny silver button. That was when something very strange happened. They disappeared. She could feel the cage around her, but she couldn't see anything as they floated up and into the air. She didn't like this, she really didn't like this. Why couldn't they let her out and let her fly there on her own? She at least liked to see where her own body was.

"Let's go," Ron's voice sounded from in front of her. And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.

Then there was a popping noise and suddenly they reappeared.

For a brief moment, she felt better when she could see herself again. But her heart plummeted when Ron suddenly said, "Uh-oh. It's faulty —"

'_What do you mean by Uh-oh?!' _she cried when they suddenly pummeled the button together. The car vanished… before it flickered back on again. She didn't like this. It wasn't too late… why don't they just land and wait for the others?

"Hold on!" Ron yelled, as he put his foot down and suddenly they were soaring up into the thick clouds so that they couldn't see anything else.

"Now what?" said Harry, staring around him at the white clouds.

"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron. "Dip back down again — quickly —"

'_Why can't you let me out?' _she begged as they fell beneath the clouds again. But she knew that there was no point. They couldn't hear her.

"I can see it!" Harry yelled. "Right ahead — there!"

Unable to stop herself, she raised her head up so that she could look out the window. There was the red train that was streaking along below them like some red snake…

"Due north," said Ron, "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so — hold on —"

Suddenly, they went flying back up through the clouds and burst out through a clear blue sky and a world of bright sunshine. Even she couldn't help but stare in wonder at the beauty around them.

Ron then turned to Harry and said, "All we've got to worry about now are airplanes."

'_You shouldn't be saying something like that,'_ she clicked her beak at them even as they started to laugh—though she couldn't understand what was so funny._ 'With your lousy luck, it's bound to come true.'_

She tried to relax during those next few hours, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She stared around her at the swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight. The boys made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, and they leaned back, enjoying some toffees and laughing. Harry once reached back to slip some owl treats into her cage, but she couldn't eat… she felt sick all of a sudden.

She soon grew very tired, but the longer they stayed up, the more uneasy she felt.

"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?"

But as Ron worked the controls she heard a terrible whine coming from the car itself. She looked up anxiously as the boys looked at each other—now finally looking uneasy as well.

"It's probably just tired," Ron said in a tone of forced calm. "It's never been this far before…"

'_No…'_ Hedwig thought as she looked back out the window and was now wishing more than ever that they had gone through that stupid wall first.

On they kept flying, the boys now pretending that they couldn't hear the terrible noise coming from the car as the sky grew dark and the stars were twinkling out one by one. She clicked her beak against the bars of the cage, longing for them to open the door and let her fly out.

"Not far," said Ron, but he seemed to be talking to the car as he patted it with a shaking hand. "Not far now…"

Harry glanced back at her once in awhile, as if sensing how anxious she was. "We'll be there soon," he told her in what was supposed to be a comforting voice.

She chirped back as if he could understand her_, 'Why did you have to do this? What am I going to do with you?'_

She was now praying that they make it through this mess alive. She looked up at the boys and thought if they could just get there in one piece, then that's all that mattered. But judging from how loud the car was sounding, those hopes were slowly vanishing.

But when it was now pitch black outside, Harry shouted out, making them jump, "There! Straight ahead!"

She looked and there it was…

Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle. Her heart was pounding inside her—the car was now shuddering in a bad way and was quickly losing speed. If they could just make it safely to the ground…

"Come on," Ron said in a pleading tone as if he thought the car could understand him, "nearly there, come on —"

But then… the sound from the car stopped…

"Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence.

Hedwig didn't have time to ask what he meant by uh-oh this time for the nose of the car suddenly dipped forward and they were falling… faster and faster, heading straight for a wall.

She shrieked loudly as they missed the wall by a hair and they were flying in a great arc over the houses of glass, the garden by Hagrid's house… falling lower and lower with each second.

"STOP! STOP!" she heard Ron yelling, but she wasn't looking as she shut her eyes, her life flashing in her mind's eye… they weren't going to make it out alive…

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" she heard Harry's voice bellow out—she didn't dare look and then…!

CRUNCH.

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Shrieking in terror, she opened her eyes and was freaking out; wanting to get out before these boys killed her.

She looked to the front to see Harry holding onto a bleeding spot on his head while Ron was moaning.

"Are you okay?" Harry said urgently.

"My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand —"

He then held up the long stick and she saw that it had been snapped almost in half.

'_Who cares?' _she shrieked. _'Just be thankful it wasn't your neck! When I get out of here I'm gonna…'_

But she didn't get a chance to finish her private threat. At that second something big and heavy hit Harry's side of the car with such force that her boy was sent flying into Ron just as something began hammering down on the roof.

The tree was attacking them! That moving tree that had always given her such a bad feeling when she spotted it during her nightly flights was what was attacking. Of all the trees that it had to be… why this one?!

They were being tossed around, surely they would be crushed when the car came back to life.

"REVERSE!" Harry screamed and then the car drove backwards and away from the tree as it continued to swing it's branches at them, almost pulling itself up as it charged.

Breathing hard, they stopped far enough away from the tree that it didn't have a hope of reaching them. Just when she thought that they were safe, the car stopped driving and doors opened up. The boys were tossed out first before she and their luggage soon followed. She thought that she would hit the ground again, but Harry had caught her and she shrieked in shock as he fumbled with her cage.

Finally, he opened the latch and she took off, flying off towards the castle without looking back. Terrified and ruffled she headed straight off to the owlery, no longer hungry, wanting nothing more than to find a perch and just sleep for the rest of the night.

But as she landed inside the tall tower, she noticed that there was a drop of something red on her wing… it was blood…

Blood from her young master…

**(Sorry for the wait, but I haven't been in the mood to type all that often. But I hope that this chapter was worth the wait.)**


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